Treacherous path

Pedestrian Paul Hostetler navigates his way down West Main Street in front of the Amtrak station around 9am March 7, the day after the big snow. "It was terrible," says Hostetler of his walk.

City property owners are required to shovel sidewalks within 24 hours after a snow, but historically, that hasn't happened on this stretch– although there was still time when this photo was taken. The 24-hour deadline was 4pm Thursday, March 7, according to city spokesperson Miriam Dickler.

11 comments

I, who have too much time, money, and property on my hands, have waited with bated breath through 2 decades of Charlottesville snowstorms to be charged under this ordinance. I make a point of leaving the sidewalks on my properties unshovelled, and sometimes even encourage my plow contractors to pile it on the sidewalks when they can do so without it seeming obviously deliberate. I do this in hopes of being charged so I can drag the city through the federal courts for involuntary servitude. It's not my sidewalk; it's the city's. there's no more reason for me to be dragooned into clearing the sidewalk than to shovel the road, for Pete's sake. Bring it ohnnnn. Let's git it on......
Moe-rons....

" ... sometimes even encourage my plow contractors to pile it on the sidewalks ..." Really ?!?

After two decades of doing nothing, isn't this merely a stupid act of self-absorbed foolishness?

I regularly shovel the walks in front of my neighbors' houses. Although we don't have a local mandate, I do so because it makes my community a nicer place.

As Gandhi said, "We must become the change we wish to see in the world."

Toni,

You are the worst kind of person. Where has your sense of community gone? We all live in this fabulous City together. By not clearing your sidewalk you are endangering the lives of all of the people who have to walk in the street past your property. That is absolutely disgraceful.

I, personally shoveled the sidewalk on the other side of the street from my house for 4 different properties (about 400 feet total) because the owners of those homes are elderly and I care about my neighbors.

It IS your sidewalk, by the way, assuming you pay your taxes, which in turn pay for the sidewalks. The City doesn't have the resources to shovel all of the sidewalks after a snow event. Ideally, the residents of the City would care enough to do it themselves. However, that isn't always the case, so the law was made to make people aware that it is their civic responsibility to help out after a major weather event. If you don't like doing it yourself, you could always pay someone else to do it with all of your "too much money". If you don't like having sidewalks, then move to the outskirts of the county. The farther the better.

I'll give private residences the benefit of the doubt and assume that the sidewalk is not shoveled because the person living there is disabled or elderly. Businesses have no excuse. I walk to work every day, and Thursday's walk was horrible, particularly because of certain restaurants on W. Main St. that did not clear the sidewalk in front of their businesses. I nearly fell in front of H&H.

Deliberately piling snow on sidewalks? Do you realize that pedestrians get forced out into the street because of your behavior and risk getting killed?

"I, personally shoveled the sidewalk on the other side of the street from my house for 4 different properties (about 400 feet total) because the owners of those homes are elderly and I care about my neighbors."

That is very nice of you but I agree with Toni in principle.

So if you do not shovel your elderly neighbors sidewalks will the city charge them or is there an elderly/disabled clause in the ordinance?

Do you feel that someone who is most likely on a fixed income be required by the city to pay someone else to shovel city owned property?

Hey "informed boyscout", once you're done showing your community spirit clearing all your neighbors' sidewalks, c'mona-my-house and shovel the sidewalk I never asked for.. and while you're being so community spirited, maybe you can shovel the street that the city doesn't plow. eh?
What a sanctimonious POS...

No, Toni H. Informed isn't sanctimonious. Rather he/she is disgusted and possesses a civil concern for others. Reserve the POS designation for yourself, and maybe people like the negligent owner of this commercial property (who's obviously been in "acting out" mode for years now).

If you've really got "take on City Hall" cojones Toni why don't you add a last name to your post?

actually, if it's on your property, it is definitely your responsibility to keep it in good shape, on those rare times when it snows -- just like owners do all the time in cities where it snows all winter. plus you are liable for any injuries if someone falls. YOU are liable, not the city, cuz they would be falling on your property.

by the way cville has a program of volunteers to help shovel for people who are disabled.

don't know what's going to help with people like toni h. around. it isn't city government that's affected by that, so it's a pretty ineffective protest. hey toni h., if you really want to go to court, take photos and document your little rebellion, get on the news or something, don't just post some unidentified nyah-nyah comments! get visible!

That is a guy wearing that scarf? Mancard violation.

Hey Scott...I don't think Tony would mind if you shoveled his walks....go for it.

Thanks, WhoaNelly, but I stopped shoveling Toni's walks after s/he kept dumping snow back on them.