Did you know that snow or ice must be removed from the sidewalk within four hours after the snow has stopped falling or by 11 a.m. if the snow stopped falling after 9 p.m. the previous evening?
Snow may not be thrown into the street. If the snow becomes ice because people have walked on it and it is so hard that it cannot be removed, the sidewalk may be strewn with ashes, sand, sawdust, or similar suitable material within the same time limits.
The sidewalk must be thoroughly cleaned as soon as the weather permits. The fine for the first offense is $100-$150, the second offense $150-$350, and the third offense $250-$350 and subsequent offenses.
One annoyance I have is when Sanitation plows decide to get rid of piles of snow and plow them into the middle of the street, but this is usually done when all the regular street plowing is completed and melting is taking place. The reason you should not shovel into the street during the early time after a storm is because a snow plow may come through and plow it back against your car or driveway. It also may freeze in the street, causing dangerous ice.
People are reminded not to let anyone into your home who claims to be a utility worker without an I.D. In fact, unless you called the utility company and asked them to come, you should not let them in. If you decide to call the utility company, have the phone number handy, make them stay outside and be sure to lock your door.
At the Nov. 9 Community Board 8 meeting the board voted to support Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi’s Home Stability Support Program by a vote of 38 in favor with no opposition or abstentions.
The purpose of the proposal is to decrease the number of homeless families by having New York State pay more money to subsidize poor families so they have enough money to pay their rent and do not become homeless.
The state and federal government has decreased the amount of money available to subsidize poor families and more and more do not have enough money to stay in their apartments. This plan is much cheaper than the city paying to put families in expensive hotels. Several community boards in Queens have voted to support this plan.
People are urged to protect water pipes and meters in their basement and crawl space areas from freezing. People should keep the areas as warm as possible by repairing any broken windows, walls or doors; installing storm windows or basement windows; insulating outside walls; eliminating drafts in crawl spaces; turning off water to outside pipes; draining the pipes; and putting insulating material around water meters of exposed pipes, which may be on a floor or against an outside cooler wall.
Open a faucet now and again to make sure water is flowing and not frozen in a pipe. If you are away for several days during freezing weather, have someone come in to make sure the water in your pipes is flowing.
If your service line, pipes, or meter freezes, then open a faucet near the frozen point to release vapor form melting ice, use a hair dryer or heat lamp or small space heater near the frozen section and call a plumber if you can’t thaw the frozen pipes. Never use an open flame because this is a fire hazard and could cause a steam explosion.
If you have questions call your local community board or CB 8 District Manager Marie Adam-Ovide at (718) 264-7895.
GOOD AND BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK
It is with sadness that we learn of the passing of Detective Steven McDonald. He was a police officer who served his community and suffered because of this service. He is remembered for his forgiveness of the young man who shot him.
