While the City works to clear streets, alleys, and parking lots of snow and ice, it is the responsibility of property owners to clear their sidewalks. The benefits of clearing sidewalks include reducing the potential for pedestrian falls while traversing the property, and clearing a safe path for public safety personnel if they are needed at the property.
Contractors or individuals working to clear sidewalks and driveways of snow and ice accumulations are reminded that depositing snow and ice upon city streets is a violation of City Ordinance 3-1-7 (D) Dumping of Snow.
Whether you are shoveling, using
a snow blower, or utilizing a snow plow, the placement of snow and ice accumulations is required to be on the property of the residence or business, and not pushed or thrown onto city streets.
The ordinance reads, in part: “It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, push or place, or cause to be thrown, pushed or placed, any ice or snow from private property, sidewalks, or driveways onto the traveled way of streets so as to obstruct gutters or impede the passage of vehicles upon the street or to create a hazardous condition therein… .”
A person convicted of a simple misdemeanor under this Code of Ordinances shall be subject to a fine of no less than $65.00 and no more than $625.00. The court may also order imprisonment not to exceed thirty (30) days in lieu of a fine or in addition to a fine.
Keep Fire Hydrants clear of snow
With snow imminent this week, the Muscatine Fire Department would like to take this time to remind you to keep fire hydrants clear of snow and ice. It takes five minutes to shovel out a fire hydrant and those five minutes could turn out to be lifesaving if a fire breaks out in your home or a neighbor’s home. Critical time is wasted when firefighters arrive on the scene of a fire and have to dig out a fire hydrant that has not been cleared of snow or ice.
Here are some notes about keeping fire hydrants clear during the winter months:
- Remove snow and ice within a 3-foot perimeter of the hydrant
- Shovel a pathway from the hydrant to the street so firefighters can access it
- Try to remove any ice that might have formed on the hydrant itself
Shoveling snow can be a tiring process for the homeowner, and it can be frustrating when that effort to clear the end of your driveway is ruined by snow berm deposited by a passing snowplow. However, there is a way to prevent a “second shovel” by giving the snow a place to go. Homeowners can clear an area before their driveway that is large enough for the snow coming off the blade of the snowplow to be deposited (to the right as you face your homes).
The Missouri Department of Transportation has an excellent video illustrating this technique. Watch Snow Shoveling Secrets on YouTube:
Be the first to comment