Cleared sidewalks an appropriate priority for Council

I remember when I first moved to Red Oak, one of my new neighbors promised me it didn’t snow that much here.
I reminded him of that comment in early December, after I shoveled about two feet of snow off the sidewalk in front of my house.
And I reminded him of that comment again a few weeks later, when a second blizzard dumped a similar amount of snow on the town that “didn’t get much snow, especially early in winter.”
While I learned early on never to trust your neighbor for a weather forecast, I also learned I was the only guy on the block without a snow blower.
But that’s okay. I’m young and healthy enough to use a shovel and I certainly wasn’t going to be “that guy” who didn’t do his neighborhood duty and clear his walk.
Plus, I was also well aware there was a city ordinance on the books that could result in me being fined if I didn’t do my civic duty and clear the walk.  
What I didn’t know until later on was that the city had no intention on enforcing that ordinance.
City officials said the amount of snow was highly unusual (yeah right, I’ve heard that one before) and they didn’t want to impose undue hardships on the residents.
Plus, they weren’t sure they had the manpower to issue the required warnings, and the follow-up tickets, especially when considering the fine amount was a mere $10.
But that’s about to change.
This year, the city is promising a renewed vigor in enforcing a new ordinance, which increases the fine to a substantial $50 per day.
The City Council hopes increasing the fine will provide some extra motivation for residents to get those sidewalks cleared, and I’m sure it will.
There will be some complaints that the fine is excessive, especially for the elderly and disabled, who are physically unable to clear their sidewalks.
The City is going to try and help address that issue by partnering with a local service club to compile a list of snow removal services, as well as recruit some volunteers to assist those who can’t afford to hire the work out.
Hopefully, between the service providers and volunteers, the new ordinance won’t be overly burdensome on the elderly and disabled, or anyone for that matter.
Yet it is important to remember that owning a home carries with it a certain level of responsibility in regards to maintenance and upkeep. Specifically, mowing the yard and clearing the sidewalks are two responsibilities inherent with home ownership.
While I realize how harsh this may sound, anyone unable to maintain those responsiblities may need to re-evaluate their housing situation.
As Council member Larry Brandstetter pointed out, clean sidewalks are to a pedestrian as clean streets are to a motorist. And quite frankly, if there is snow on the sidewalks, walking on the streets is probably not the safest thing in the world.
Of course, in an ideal world, Red Oak won’t get any significant snow at all this winter. I’m just not counting on that.
Gregory Orear is the general manager/editor of the Red Oak Express. He can be contacted at publisher@redoakexpress.com.