Bayfield town trustees discussed snow response issues, and how to keep people from parking on streets that must be cleared.
Snow route declarations mean no parking from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on designated streets – Mill, Church, South and North – to make it easier to plow snow.
“Some people are still parking on the street,” Town Manager Chris La May said at meeting earlier this month.
“The way our policy is written, there’s supposed to be a snow emergency declaration. The challenge is getting the notice out.”
He suggested making the snow route parking restrictions ongoing during snow season instead of declaring each event separately. “Last year we did a blanket declaration of a snow emergency until otherwise notified, meaning until April,” he said.
But he also noted that some Mill Street residents park on the street.
Snow emergency parking violators could have their vehicles towed.
Another issue is enforcing the prohibition on people plowing snow from their driveways or their sidewalks into the street, where it freezes, La May said. “We need to start enforcing that.”
Getting people to shovel the sidewalk in front of their property also is an issue. “It’s a challenge to enforce the way the code is written. We could potentially spend all of our Bayfield Marshal’s resources getting people to do it,” he said.
Mayor Matt Salka noted that some businesses put their snow in the street.
“It will be a never-ending battle, but this is important,” he said. “Taking care of the emergency routes is the first priority for public works. Last year, Mill Street got really ugly.”
Trustee Kristin Dallison said where she works on Mill Street, there’s no place for the business to move snow from the sidewalk, except into the street.
Trustee Kelly Polites said she lives downtown. “If I know we’re going to get 3 inches overnight, I’ll move my car.” She and other trustees noted that vehicles might need to be towed to enforce the rules.
