Shenandoah councilman: Keep your sidewalks clear
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - Sidewalks at the corner of Lloyd and Chestnut remain snow-covered on Dec. 19, 2019, a day after snow squalls moved through the town.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]
SHENANDOAH – Take a walk through some parts of Shenandoah after Wednesday’s snowfall, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a sidewalk free of ice or snow.
Such conditions prompted a borough councilman to issue a reminder Thursday for residents to clear their sidewalks.
“I walked around after this last storm, and there were a lot of sidewalks that weren’t cleared,” said Councilman Gordon Slater. “They’re supposed to be cleared right after a snowstorm.”
The borough has an ordinance which requires a 36-inch path to be cleared on sidewalks within 24-hours of snowfall.
“Especially if it’s freezing rain, try to put some ice melt out,” Slater said. “You’ve got elderly people trying to walk to the stores and those sidewalks are pretty icy, so this is a reminder to get out there and get your sidewalks cleared.”
“That includes the main street and storefronts,” Slater added.
“You don’t have to go from the front of the house to the curb, just a 36-inch path,” said Council President Leo Pietkiewicz.
On some west end streets, the travel lane of the roadway is safer to walk along than sidewalks, as a majority of a block remains covered in snow and ice. In some cases, near empty lots, the sidewalk is indistinguishable from the lot itself.
Slater, though, commended the borough’s road crew for their response to the snow storm, keeping roadways as clear as possible.
In other business, Mayor Andrew Szczyglak thanked donors to the Santa candy drive the borough police department handled.
“They were able to hand out treats to the children on Black Friday, and they also went to the elementary school and the day cares with Santa Claus to give out candy,” Szczyglak said. “That was all through the generosity of the businesses and the people of Shenandoah who donated to that.”
Szczyglak and Pietkiewicz also commended borough Police Chief George Carado on his recent award from the Fraternal Order of Police.
“I’m sure most of council is aware because of the article in the Sentinel about Shenandoah’s police chief George Carado, he was named the officer of the year by the FOP, so I would like to take this opportunity to publicly, on behalf of myself and council, congratulate George,” said Szczyglak. “He’s an outstanding chief and I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
“George has been an asset to this borough in his six years of service as chief, and I would not like to see anyone else in that position for a long time,” Pietkiewicz said.
Borough council also accepted the resignation of Dale Shoup from the sewer department effective Dec. 31.
“I would like to thank Dale for his years of service and his knowledge and help with our sewer plant,” said Pietkiewicz. “As everyone knows, it’s 40-year-old sewer plant with a life expectancy of 25 years.”
“With the dedicated men down at the sewer department, that is why we were able to maintain it to the point where it is now, and we will be building a new one in the near future since we have been able to secure funding,” Pietkiewicz added.
In other business, borough council
- Approved a $60,000 tax anticipation note from First National Bank, to cover the operating budget before tax revenues are received.
- Approved engineering services for Phase 2 of the Girard Park Recreational Project.
- Approved a letter of support for the Downtown Shenandoah Inc. Innovation Center project and DSI’s application for designation as a Main Street Program.
- Approved Handicapped Parking applications for 109 North Jardin, 216 South Jardin, and 306 South West Street.
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