Gananoque residents are no longer responsible for any of the sidewalks in Town. Staff will be completing the program with Town equipment and resources. There is a priority route that has been developed and staff are continuously reworking this to meet the needs of the Town.
Sidewalk plowing program gets green light from new Gananoque council
From Gananoque Reporter
After hearing a presentation from director of public works Ryan Morton, council approved 5-2 to move ahead with full service winter sidewalk maintenance.
Town CAO Darren Dalgleish said the catalyst for bringing this issue back to council was the Gananoque Downtown Improvement Area asking if the town would consider removing all snow from the downtown business area. Staff was instructed by council to prepare a report on removing snow from all sidewalks in town.
In his report, Morton estimates the program will cost about $17,880 based on five months of winter and four snow events per month. This represents a cost of $8.13 per resident of the Town of Gananoque.
Councillor Joe Jansen and Mayor Erika Demchuk represented the two nay votes. A new bylaw for the program was not presented or voted on.
Council agreed to adopt the new winter sidewalk maintenance policy and gave approval for Morton to lease an additional sidewalk tractor should the need present itself. The upset limit of the lease would be $5,000 a month. All costs associated with this pilot program will be provided for in the 2011 budget.
“Managing the snow removal program, the way it is now, is strenuous,” Morton told council, pointing to his staff dealing with people that don’t move their snow and bylaw enforcement issuing tickets. “I want to limit the burden on our handicapped and senior residents… I also want to see what we can do with the resources we have at hand… I think the cost is fair.”
When questioned, Morton said he was hopeful the current unit could do the work but added he may have to rent an additional unit based on the types of snow events the town encounters this year.
“We are liable for the sidewalks no matter who clears them,” Dalgleish said. “As long as it’s not a heavy snowfall, our machine can clear the sidewalks in eight hours.”