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Code allows sidewalk snow in street

Regarding the snow removal story in the Herald on Feb. 1, Steve Barkley is incorrect in stating that residents must remove snow and ice from public sidewalks to their private property. This issue is specifically addressed in the City Municipal Code Chapter 21, Article 3, section 21-38: “Depositing snow in streets – No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited in any public street, alley or roadway in the city, snow taken or removed from property privately owned or occupied, excluding snow taken or removed from public sidewalks. (Code 1962, § 9-4-3).”

“Excluding” means the opposite of “including.” The way I read it, one cannot take snow from a private property and deposit it in the public street. That makes sense. However, one can certainly clear the public sidewalk in front of his property by moving it to the street where public employees, using publicly owned equipment, can more easily remove it for disposal, thereby maintaining the safety of pedestrians using that sidewalk as well as respecting the rights of the property owner.

Fred Stephenson

Durango



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