MACHIAS, Maine — Downtown Machias has so far dodged the bullet in terms of dealing with significant snowfall.
When snow does arrive in a big way, tenants of downtown businesses east of the Bad Little Falls bridge better have their snow shovels ready or be ready to reach for their wallets. Town officials are poised to adopt new sidewalk regulations that will impose a $50 fine for sidewalks not cleared in a timely way.
“We’ve always received complaints about downtown sidewalks not being cleared,” Machias Town Manager Chris Loughlin said Friday.
As now drafted, the snow removal requirements would apply to the “business parts” of Main, Center and Water streets and Colonial Way.
The ordinance allows tenants or owners of vacant buildings along those streets 12 hours to clear the sidewalks once a daytime snow dump ends. If the snow arrives overnight, they have until 4 p.m. the following day to get sidewalks cleared. The proposed ordinance stipulates that a $50 fine can be imposed for each day sidewalks remain uncleared beyond those deadlines.
The process of drafting and reviewing the proposed ordinance has been dragging on for months. Between Ordinance Committee reviews and legal counsel analysis, Loughlin said it could be late January before a required public hearing is held.
Lets see how this plays out.
Did Forbes approve this ordinance? What does the stuffed penguin think of it? How dare 48’ers try to require job-creators to waste their hard earned money on frivolous non-realizable expenditures?
Why bother shoveling snow when there are no customers anyway.
I have read lawsuits of passersbys on a sidewalk, slip and fall in front of a store, then sue the store. I dont know if they were successful lawsuits or not. Bob Gamere for one, a sportscaster during the 80s.
The only thing that keeps Downtown alive is all the Banks and redemption place.
I was under the impression the town owned those sidewalks.
I’m pretty sure towns have traditionally had the power to compel sidewalk clearing. But I wonder if requiring a specific individual to do it or have it done at his own expense doesn’t amount to a ‘taking’, requiring the town to compensate him.
I can still remember when.. 50-60 years ago most sidewalks were shoveled as most folks lived in town not the country-side, walked to school, church, shopping thus it was more important to have clear sidewalks. Plus back then folks wore leather shoes as opposed to g-tex boots, etal
No it doesn’t. Towns/cities all across the country routinely require residents & business owners to clear the sidewalks in front of their property. Most towns also will fine you for not doing so, and many will come do it for you after a 24 hours (or some other specified time) and bill you for it. This is standard policies that Machias is just 25 years behind on.
I doubt anyone’s ever challenged it – too trivial. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a taking.
It’s not “taking” because the town already owns the sidewalk. They are requiring the abutting property owner to clear the public sidewalk.
Thereby ‘taking’ his labor, or the money he pays someone else to do the job.
This is going to be interesting. We have hardly enough time keep this town safe and the police are going to monitor the sidewalks. is the Town going to get fined for not keeping all the sidewalks cleared that are not in front of businesses? Curious who is going to keep clean the sidewalks on the bridge going to UMM.
That’s a great question crookednation. Also, who will be held liable if someone slips/falls on a town sidewalk. Is it the town, the abutting property owner or perhaps their snow removal contractor??
Just wondering where Holly and the others are going to “place” the snow removed from the sidewalk? Not too much room between the buildings and the road. The town of Machias is not very business friendly. And those empty buildings….do their owners show up to shovel out?
Put the snow in the road….LOL