In too deep?
Downtown Butler business owners said the city should do a better job of enforcing the ordinance requiring property owners to clear snow from sidewalks in front of their businesses.
Snow and sleet from a winter storm Tuesday night left sidewalks along Main Street difficult to navigate — especially for people who rely on wheelchairs, motorized scooters, walkers and canes.
Snow pushed by plows to the edges of the street at intersections left several people struggling to get their wheelchairs and scooters on to the sidewalk Thursday.
Joel Mann, co-owner of A.B. Mann Co. on South Main Street, said he shoveled and salted the sidewalk in front of his optics shop and salted the sidewalk in front of the adjacent vacant building Wednesday.
“Sometimes I salt it because they don’t,” Mann said.
Some snow remained on that part of the sidewalk Thursday, but Mann said his customers have never complained about the sidewalks.
He said the city should enforce the ordinance and plow snow from the intersections and from around parking meters.
The snow that remained on the sidewalk Thursday on Main Street didn’t seem to bother Bill Longstreth, who owns a printing shop, but he said the city should enforce the ordinance.
He said he has never heard a complaint about the sidewalks during the 30 years he has owned the business.
The city police department is in charge of enforcing the ordinance and it does when people complain, said Dave Adam, deputy chief.
Police contact the property owner when a complaint is received and give the owner two days to clear the snow, he said.
The snow is usually cleared or melted during that time, but the owner can be cited if snow isn’t cleared, he said.
“If we get called, we respond,” Adam said.
He said he didn’t know if any complaints were filed following Tuesday’s storm.
