Redidents and business owners should be responsible to clear their sidewalks. If you think it should be the town, don't cry when your taxes need to be increased to cover the cost (and please, I don't want to hear "We pay such high taxes, the town should do it"). The more you rely on the government, the more its going to cost you.

The town is responsible for busing children to school therefore they should also be responsible for clearing the sidewalks. It is not safe for kids to walk to school or wait for a bus in the street. It needs to be done in a timely manner before the next open school day. If property owners were responsible, kids would be walking part of the way on clear sidewalks, (or partially clear sidewalks) and then have to climb through snowbanks to get to the street. It simply isn't safe. Suck it up taxpayers.

Sidewalks are town or city property so they should do the work. It is NOT my sidewalk.

Towns don't seem to want any responsibility for their property but have no trouble telling homeowners what they need to do with theirs.

The plows go by turning up heaps of snow that have no place to land but on a sidewalk. Now, the homeowner is expected to remove that mess by shoveling it into his yard? Fortunately, I don't have sidewalks, but during the snowiest times of winter, I'm kept busy digging out my mailbox and the end of my driveway. I can't imagine dealing with the 150-foot frontage along the street.

I agree with Emcee. Requiring homeowners to clear the snow with stiff penalties is unfair considering that town plows often undo the work done by weary shovelers, esp. in a big storm. What about folks who leave town and miss a weekend storm? Are they then responsible for monitoring the weather and making alternate arrangements for someone to clear the sidewalks? What about the elderly, many of whom in this economy are barely holding on to their homes? Are they required to hire someone to remove every flurry? There are too many variables. If the town insists that the sidewalks be cleared after each snow and citizens agree, then the town should bear the burden collectively. We do the same for trash hauling and other municipal services.

Another alternative is to decide where the heaviest foot traffic is and have the town clear just those routes (i.e. near municipal buildings, routes to schools, etc.)

I live on a side street - dead end road. We don't actually have a sidewalk but I know when I had trucks on my property from the factory across the street, the police were quick to state that they were entitled to several inches of my property and there was nothing I could do about them destroying my driveway. That being said, its our property and we clear it, and then some when the plows come by and I have to snowblow over a foot in the street. You gotta do, what you gotta do.

Look around when the next snow flies, cities and towns don't do a good job clearing town property why should we as tax payers have to clear ours

I say YES, when I have spent numerous ventures outside keeping up with the accumulation, then a plow comes by and it's back to square one. However, this time it's heavy, sand filled, wet slush... Ugh! Back breaking... On the the other hand I say, NO!!!! Taxes will be raised, the job wouldn't be done right, curbs will be destroyed then we'll have to pay for that, ect. ect. It's a viscous cycle. Let them plow the roads and let the sun do the rest. I will add that although there are people out there who fraud disability, I would be willing to take the tax increase for handicapped people to have their sidewalks shoveled. :)

Get off your butt and shovel your sidewalk, and shovel your neighbor's walk as well especially if they are old or handicapped, the town has enough to deal with and never enough money to deal with yet another headache.

i think it should be the same in each city and town. if the sidewalks are heavily trafficked by students that have to walk to and from school then the city/town should be on that right away . i've seen too many kids walking in the streets on main roads going to and from school, days after it has snowed. mabye fine the city/town for not plowing so our children are safe. if you live in a residential area,back roads,no schools, then as a good citizen then you should shovel the sidewalk. let city/town hall know if you're handicapped or elderly.

$50 bucks per storm for a Barrington Resident is well worth it. This could be a Community service project for The Boy Scouts of America (local troops), church groups and Seekonk High School Students. This may be a snowless winter because of global warming. Go Patriots!

The town owns them, the town should clear them. That being said, I also think the only critical areas are the ones in the areas where students must walk to school. If you live close enough to the school, buses are not provided and students are required to walk. Students should not be forced to walk on the streets because the sidewalks are not cleared

The City should take on this responsiblity. Considering they install and maintain the sidewalks, they belong to them. There are too many elderly in this City -- who is going to shovel for them? Especially after the plows dump even more snow up onto our sidewalks.

What about teens? The highschool could organize a day where teens go around to different neighborhoods and shovel the sidewalks--and teens could get community service credit!

There are too many street and very little help to shovel every sidewalk. It should be the responsibility of the home owner. If they are in a position where they can't do it, then pick up the phone call the public works and explain the situation. I'm sure they be more then willing to work with you. If you relied on the city to get it done it would never be completed in a timely manner unless they hired more personnel and I'm fairly certain most people would not want more people on the books. Your next option would be buying more equipment which part of me feels most people wouldn't want that either. Pick your poison, either you do it or the city does it, but don't expect it to be fully completed the next day seeing all their workers are plowing the streets.

Many Newport residents are out of town for part of or all of the winter season.

Back when there was a lot of snow every winter, the city had big snow blowers on the trucks. All the snow was collected and dumped elsewhere. When we started having milder winters, the blowers were not needed so much, so they were not replaced. Get the snow blowers back!

The towns cannot force by fines residents to shovel town or state property.

Many of the neighborhood sidewalks in Seekonk should be condemned as public safety hazards, with or without snow.

Have the high schoolers do it as part of a community service organization project . See my article on it here:
http://eastbayri.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2011/oct/11/teenagers-could-help-snow-removal/

I think the town should be responsible because when the roads are plowed all the snow is pushed on the sidewalk. You have snow piled high. There is no way that a person should have to clean snow off the sidewalk that was put there by town or state workers. Also you have a lot of old people who are not able to shovel snow due to heart conditions and have no one to do it for them. The town owns the property so the town needs to take care of it, not the taxpayers

I think it should be a joint effort. Property owners with limited or no ability should notify the Town Clerk's office and efforts should then be made by the Town to assist with those owners. KThe downtown area and the main roads leading to the schools should be priority one for the DPW Director. In addition, other roads should be identified, i.e. shopping centers, where they too are prioritized. Lastly, those abled property owners, possibly with the help of either community service, i.e. criminal offenders supervised as they already do with State road cleanup, should be able to clear the remaining roads. Here is a radical idea....how about those able-bodied folks who collect unemployment and food stamps sitting on their front steps drinking beers when other folks are at work??

For you people that are voting against the towns cleaning sidewalks because of cost, why not put the plows away and leave the roads unplowed too! that would save a lot of money too! but by state law the town is required to plow and clean roads (Safty) well what does snow covered sidewalks create a problem for. big goverment can't get it done, then stop sending money to other countries and take care of us americans who pay taxes for services.

The resources are just not available for the Cities and Towns to clear side walks . Neighborhood organizations should be formed, and a group effort to clear side walks should be how it gets done. Pool the money and hire a guy with a snow blower to clear your block . Neighbors helping neighbors is how we used to get things done in America. Big Government just can't get it done.

Dave we should get you a 4 wheel drive wheel chair with a plow. Good to here from you .

no 4 wheel drive here joe and no plow, town managment is doing everthing they can to say they dont have funds, but they do

Dave, welcome back to Patchville! Good thing you don't live in Portsmouth along East Main Road. How is it that we can have a main artery with no sidewalks? How's about we get sidewalks installed on East Main, then we can figure out how to remove the snow? If sidewalks were to be installed, would it be funded by the state, towns, or both? Who should be responsible? People who choose to walk or get around on a wheel chair have just as much a right to do so as motor vehicles, especially on a main artery. I find it appalling that Portsmouth has such a lack of sidewalks.

Sidewalk snow??? The Lord giveth...the Lord Taketh. Let it melt. Lets see the lawsuit from the first heart-attack...back injury...or any other injury from shoveling snow on town or state property. This topic is a complete waste of time. I am even upset that I posted.

I think all JUGGALOS should shovel it.

Get out there and shovel your own sidewalks. It never even occured to me that this could be such an 'issue'. I don't currently have a sidewalk, but when living in Middletown, I never expected the town to come shovel the sidewalk for me. It was something done after the driveway was done, either by shovel or snowblower. The complaints about the plows throwing it, and where to put it? Don't you put your 'driveway' snow in your yard?? Don't you go back and shovel again when the plow pushes snow back across the end of your driveway?? Where is the plow driver supposed to put it? You'd certainly complain about someone not clearing a sidewalk when you wanted to go for a walk, and you had to walk out in the street because of their inconsideration.
I have a fire hydrant on my property--do I 'expect' the fire department or public works to come clear around the hydrant so it's accessible in case of fire? No, I go out there and (GASP!!) as a courtesy, do it for them--and me, should a fire ever happen to my home.
As a retail manager, it never crossed my mind that the town would have to 'tell' me to keep my sidewalks clear of snow: it's common sense! I want my customers to have unobstructed access to my business, so they can come and spend money and support us.
Everyone is about 'themselves'. Be a good neighbor, good samaritin or just a good person, and do it how we USED to: without complaint, excuse or blame of someone else, and without expected reward or reimbursement.

After 34 years shoveling my own driveway, I bought a snowblower last fall. A SEARS 26" power steering model. It cost $799. I'm 70. Last winter I got a chance to use it. I even did my neighbors driveway. I do the street in front of my mailbox. I can't wait for it to snow.

If you are an old fart.like me....NO Problem. it works like a "Walker". You can lean on it and It just pulls you along. My wife of 45 years says it just DRAGS me along. Whatever.

Untill a couple of years ago, I lived in a house on a corner on Water Street. Like many houses in the area, it was built on the sidewalk line on both streets having almost 150' of frontage between the two. There simply was no place to put shoveled snow without walking a good distance. When I first moved to Warren in the late 1970's there was a little plow that did the walks in the Water St./Main St area. It disappeared after several years, however, having broken down (like many things in Warren) and could not be fixed. Funny that the Town, which has let the sidewalks on Water St. deteriorate to the point where they are a hazzard to pedestrians with loose bricks, frost heaves and missing pavement, is insisting that homeowners remove snow. Bring back the small plow or buy a couple of big snow blowers for the DPW.! Finally, how many people actually walk anywhere these days??

This is a pretty easy one. The answer to "who should perform snow removal on the sidewalks" is the same answer as the one to the following question: If someone were to fall on the sidewalk and want to take legal action against the owner of that real estate, who would it be? As always, this isn't a question of how people feel about things. It's a question of who owns the liability for sidewalk maintenance.
I do know one thing. Many children are required to walk to school, as per the transportation policy of the school administration. If walkways weren't cleared and a child was injured as a result. I can only imagine who the child's parents would legally go after. Sad, but true.

Not sure how much things have changed since I was a kid in newport, However I do remember back then that you were required to clear your sidewalk with a path. f a city or town has an ordinance, saying that then you can be sued if someone falls, check your insurance policy on it. Also if you notice all around this state, there is about 6ft of frontage where there is no sidewalks, you cut that grass and maintain it etc, Why? Because the towns require fences 6ft back from the property line. If I remember right the reasoning was for easements that the towns and cities must have for utilities, like telephone poles signs etc. Though not sure on that.

In newport way back then, the town only cleared, school bus stops and the public building such as schools, etc. that I remember. The snow was also dumped in the bay back then, now they do not, because of what is on the road, don't know why it still melts into the storm drains to the bay, makes no sense. In ay case that stopped the problem now of trying to shovel with no place to put it.

Also made a ton of money shoveling back then, and also helped those who needed help for nothing. Good way for kids to know if they work, surprise you make money the old fashion way, you earn it.

Just a few thoughts ;-}

Jack last week you responded to another posting by stating you were from Idaho. Well which is it, are you from Idaho or did you grow up in Newport

Every one knows Jack was born in Idaho and his family moved to Newport. The family is well known in the City. Get with the program Bongo Boy.

Joe as someone who has lived in Newport for my entire I can say can say that I have never heard of this Jack. And having read the exchange would side with the Bongo man. You cant claim to be from Idaho and then say you grew up in Newport. You are from where you grow up with even a dullard as yourself can see that.

If you lived in Newport your whole life, where was the DMV located at ?

Joe, I to have resided the city by the see and did not live under a rock never heard of spud or this guy Jack or you for that matter. But I have to agree you cant say you were from Idaho and then also claim to have been brought up in Newport. Is everyone a shill or is that the only term you can come up with. I remember the DMV being on ValleY Road my entire life until recently. Do I pass the sousa test, shill

Joe I am 43 years old and as long as I can remember the DMV was on Valley Road in Middletown. I went to Rogers and Middletown and have no idea who spud is who the Jack fellow is either. He sounds like someone you must have hung out with or looked up to but I think you should try to stick to the original article anyway.

Um, Hello?? Could you get a little further off topic?? Who cares where someone lives or lived? Is this site going to be another Jack B squabble zone? That is what made the East Bay papers take down their comment and discussion page. Keep it up guys and we'll loose this one too.

The DMV was on Bellevue Avenue ave before it was moved to Valley Road. I got my license there in 1976.

dmv was on spring street in the sixty's then bellvue ave before valley rd

One wonder whay anyone would spend so much time on my name, lol it is very amusing though. lol

Still think that it is your own responsibility to clear the sidewalk in front of your house. However a plan like they have here in Bristol where the RWU has students who lend a hand to those such as the elderly is a good thing, see no reason that cannot be done everywhere, it seems the some kids of today just don't have that same moral mindset to help others as much as it was when I was a kid.

Also think there should be a case by case basis on the penalties and of course waivers for severe storms etc. In newport it is really tough due to the small streets and no place to put snow, many houses on whole streets have no yard frontage at all, especially on the point and upper thames.

Can't agree with town doing it all. It would obviously raise taxes, no matter the town or city, as temporary workers would have to be hired and you would need a lot of them, not to mention overtime which would happen on big storms. The community out reach for elderly and disabled suggested above seems a lot better in the end.

Jack anyone who read the EastBay section knows that you were one of the major players in the comments section being shut down. You and your pal Joe Sousa could help yourself and could not shut up. sounds like that may be happening again.

Pure Shillyness

DMV was never on Spring St but it was on Mill St then Bellevue and on to Valley Rd

This is always a thorny subject. Do you own the sidewalk? No. Are you responsible if someone falls on the sidewalk? Yes. Should the town clear it? If you want to see higher property taxes, yes. If the snowpiles were to get so high that you had nowhere to throw it, clear out the driveway to the street and leave it. Everyone will be in the street anyway.....the plows will just keep pushing it towards your property anyway.

govstench, I have to dis-agree, as the law stands, if I fall on a sidewalk on your property, I have to sue you and your property insurance, so that means a hike to you in insurance rates next year, The town is responsible to clean, they need to budget for it. Dont have money, find it, stop the union from taking holidays that are not necessary, bet the cost of the town of warren paying it employees for May 4, would be the entire budget to plow sidewalks!!

The law varies from state to state if you live in Ma. the law states that if you don't shovel the snow on the sidewalk and someone falls the can not sue you because the snow is an act of god but if you shovel it and someone falls they can sue you because you altered the natural snow fall. thais also includes any other part of your property. If you don't alter the natural snow fall they CAN'T sue you!

Sidewalks and snow who should shovel
who cares maybe you haven't heard your city and failing financially and there is only Bruce and his newest puppet to handle it

Good thing the state came in

S, YOUR COMMENT IS RUDE, I CARE, I WAS A HIT AND RUN VICTIM BECAUSE I COULD NOT BE ON A SIDEWALK AND HAD TO USE THE ROAD, AND A DRUNK HIT ME AND LEFT, CRUSHED MY WHEELCHAIR AND SENT ME TO THE HOSPITAL,

Snow is a miracle of life - how can you sit in your house and resist the urge to be a part of it and go shovel it? I am not from here so when I see snow I instantly want to go frolic in it. I suppose after some decades this nostalgia will wear off but that would be a tragedy.

"Downtown" I blame "Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Ray Conniff, Mitch Miller, Andy Williams, etc, etc, etc, lol. They all made it sound so good back then, but now that stuff is to heavy, But I do love my snow blower lol.

"Pawtucket enlists volunteer snow shovelers"
The city of Pawtucket has lined up a brigade of volunteer shovelers to help seniors clear their sidewalks after winter storms.

The city's seniors liaison has reached out to schools, religious organizations and community organizations to put together a list of willing snow-shovelers. Among those providing volunteers are the Boys and Girls Club of Pawtucket, Woodlawn Community Center, and Tolman and Shea high schools.

Mayor Donald Grebien (GREH'-bee-in) says snow-shoveling can be strenuous for seniors and volunteers will be filling a critical need to clear sidewalks.

City ordinance requires snow to be removed no more than 12 hours of daylight after a storm ends. A first offense carries a $25 fine.

Anyone who wants to volunteer can sign up at City Hall or may call (401) 728-0500, ext. 241.
from - http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/12/25/pawtucket_enlists_volunteer_snow_shovelers/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Rhode+Island+news

After all the interest in who should plow the streets & Sidewalks Albert Bouchard of Bouchard Restaurant & Inn bought a snowblower and right now is plowing the sidewalk from the Shell Station to The Red Parrot and back down the other side of the street!