Jefferson Street Sidewalk in back of Parking Deck 2/8/14 *Photo by C. Maxwell
The big snow came on Monday, February 3 and the next day was not that terrific. Wednesday of the same week we had an ice storm. This editorial was written on Saturday, February 8. The photo on this page (top right) showed an extreme case of ice still on the sidewalk. (Back of the Jefferson Street Parking Deck)
I don’t know who owns this property or whose responsibility it is to clear it. I only know it is dangerous. The parking lot for the Amboy Mall (which is now closed because of new ownership) is completely blacktopped. A beautiful job was done in that lot. Even if you cut through that parking lot, you eventually have to go onto the sidewalk and that’s where the problem lies.
On Page 11 we took photos in the busy downtown area of Perth Amboy showing the difference between businesses that put a little more effort in removal of snow and ice and those who did not.
Some properties were very clean and some were dangerous. There’s a possibility that some of these properties could be abandoned or have an absentee owner. If the City has has records of the owners they should be notified of these conditions.
There is an Ambassador Program in Perth Amboy. I don’t know if they have been out that week. The businesses from the Five Corners to Madison Avenue have done a pretty good job of clearing their walks. That is, until you come to the sidewalks on Smith Street and Madison Avenue (bordering Fink Park) – the busiest intersection in the heart of town – All I can say is it’s embarrassing to see that it hasn’t been touched. It is filled with ice and if it weren’t for the foot traffic there would not have been a path at all.
Many people complain about the high fines in Perth Amboy. In this case high fines are justifiable because of the dangerous conditions present. If a cleanup is not done within the time frame of the City Ordinance, I think a very stiff fine is in order. If $5000 a day is on the books – double it! This should do the trick. Perhaps some of the owners think that’s nothing. They soon would have a change of heart if someone fell and sued them for millions of dollars. It’s their choice.
Some businesses might blame the consistent freezing temperatures that impeded them from doing a thorough job. This does not hold water. In that case, your neighbors who had a very clear sidewalk would have the same problem. I think they had the same weather conditions to deal with that you did. It has nothing to do with the coldness or if you had sun or shade on your side of the street, properties on both sides had good and bad snow removal.
Another argument might be you don’t have it in your budget or have anyone to do snow removal for you. Perhaps you are out of town when the snowstorm occurred or you couldn’t make it into town, because the snow was worse where you live.
Smith Street Blizzard of 1996. It’s called winter. It’s happened before. It will happen again. *Photo by Paul W. Wang
Here’s my suggestion: It snows every winter. You can have a contingency plan with an adjacent business or businesses on your block. Approach them about making sure that snow is removed from your property in an emergency. Throw them a couple extra bucks. There are always people walking around with shovels who need to make a couple extra dollars. Use them. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.
Some people might say, “My, God if someone gets hurt while they are shoveling the snow on my property, I’m libel.”
A couple of years ago I was talking to Wilma Matey from Hugo Fleities Insurance. She said that she has insured people for short term events. You should talk to your insurance companies about insuring seasonal workers.
As far as intersections in Perth Amboy – this is what I would do – if I had a business on the corner, I would make sure that the crosswalk path is cleared leading to my business.
There were times when I wanted to go to a specific store to buy something. When I looked across the street and saw mounds of snow in front of that store. I said, “No way,” and went to another establishment where the pathway was clear.
Sometimes you can’t wait for the City to clear that path. It might do you well to just go ahead and do it for the betterment of your clients and your store. You may get someone new coming in to your store because it was accessible. They might find out you had something better to offer. You never know.
They call this weather we’ve been having a VORTEX. This is supposed to be a phenomenon of cold freezing days. It’s just called FREEZING WEATHER! It’s something that occurs every winter, especially in February. Guess what? Just like in the past we survived then and we’ll survive now.
Most importantly, let’s not forget about our first responders. Every second counts in an emergency. Imagine the increased danger to Emergency Personnel when they have to navigate through ice and snow when they arrive at the scene of a call. It would be a shame if they were injured while trying to get to you. This alone should be an incentive to clean your property as soon as possible.
Walking down the streets at night the last few days, I thought I was going to break my neck. There were many spots covered in ice. It’s very dangerous.
As a pedestrian I find in the last few days or more, walking on Smith Street, except for some stores is totally unacceptable. Trying to get from one side to the other climbing mounds of snow or walking on ice. I have to walk in the road to prevent walking on ice. This is totally unacceptable. I remember the ice storms in ’94 and the blizzard of ’96 which within days was cleaned up.
I understand that the budget and the workforce of the City has been cut, but the store owners should consider this, instead of pointing fingers and say it’s the City’s fault. You have your businesses in this City. You should consider this and clean your gutters and your drains so the melting ice will not drip into puddles and refreeze because of the blocked sewers. Next time we have snow, go out with a shovel and clean this. Some stores have the decency and the understanding and do it.
P.S. I’d like to thank my landlord for clearing my doorstep and our sidewalks. – C.M. C.M., K.M., P.W.
I remember when Bob Sottilaro was a Councilman. He said he made it a point to always take the debris off of the top of the street sewer traps where he lives. This was to prevent a blockage and flooding in the area.
