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Vinson Uzupes and Donna Cron both share a wintertime headache as Terrace Street neighbors. After a snowstorm, they often awake in the morning to find their once shoveled sidewalk covered with more snow than fell.
The culprit, they said, is PennDOT, who Thursday morning accidentally pushed a colossal, roadside snow and ice wall onto their sidewalk while plowing away a snow, sleet and freezing rain storm that struck the county on Wednesday.
“It’s a source of tremendous frustration,” said Uzupes, who lives near where Terrace Street intersects Erie Street, at the bottom of the hill. “This certainly isn’t the first time. It’s done repeatedly.”
Uzupes said this time was particularly awful since the winter wall hardened into nearly an ice block, sending ice chunks of all sizes onto their sidewalk when the plow hit it, making even the most eager snow shoveler cringe.
Cron said she received a $60 borough fine two years ago for failing to shovel her walk, after a similar incident occurred.
The borough requires sidewalks to be shoveled no later than six hours after a storm, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“I can shovel light stuff ... but I’m not that young anymore,” said Cron. “Every time we have a significant amount of snow or ice this happens. (PennDOT) has to come down at a fairly good speed ... to push it down.”
Borough Councilwoman Marjorie Rickard, a Terrace Street resident who also had her sidewalk plowed in Thursday morning, said she stopped by PennDOT that day to explain the situation.
“I kindly went down there and asked them to have a little consideration. Last year, they were really good,” said Rickard, who chairs the borough safety committee.
“Here I tell people to please keep your sidewalk clean, and I couldn’t even clean my own.”
The intent of the borough ordinance is to ensure public safety, especially on Terrace Street where students walk to and from Honesdale High School, she said.
Ted Zurla, the manager of PennDOT’s White Mills location, said an employee checked out the Terrace Street issue.
“In this case ... whoever went through went a little too fast,” said Zurla, adding that the plow driver was told to slow down in that area.
Overall, PennDOT encourages drivers to reduce their speed to prevent these incidents from happening, he said.
Sometimes, however, it’s inevitable that snow will be pushed on sidewalks.
“It’s one of those things. ... It gets to the point where there is no where to put it,” he said.
Crone is concerned a fine could be issued again. She said her nephew will clear the sidewalk Thursday night and that he may have to use a backhoe.
Borough Councilman Gerald Ennis, who is in charge of borough streets, said this particular storm was unique with its ice barrage, making snow removal quite a challenge, which the borough will take into account.
“You needed a regular chopping block,” said Ennis.
As for the Terrace Street neighbors, he said: “The borough does give leniency when situations like that occur.”
Vinson Uzupes and Donna Cron both share a wintertime headache as Terrace Street neighbors. After a snowstorm, they often awake in the morning to find their once shoveled sidewalk covered with more snow than fell.
The culprit, they said, is PennDOT, who Thursday morning accidentally pushed a colossal, roadside snow and ice wall onto their sidewalk while plowing away a snow, sleet and freezing rain storm that struck the county on Wednesday.
“It’s a source of tremendous frustration,” said Uzupes, who lives near where Terrace Street intersects Erie Street, at the bottom of the hill. “This certainly isn’t the first time. It’s done repeatedly.”
Uzupes said this time was particularly awful since the winter wall hardened into nearly an ice block, sending ice chunks of all sizes onto their sidewalk when the plow hit it, making even the most eager snow shoveler cringe.
Cron said she received a $60 borough fine two years ago for failing to shovel her walk, after a similar incident occurred.
The borough requires sidewalks to be shoveled no later than six hours after a storm, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“I can shovel light stuff ... but I’m not that young anymore,” said Cron. “Every time we have a significant amount of snow or ice this happens. (PennDOT) has to come down at a fairly good speed ... to push it down.”
Borough Councilwoman Marjorie Rickard, a Terrace Street resident who also had her sidewalk plowed in Thursday morning, said she stopped by PennDOT that day to explain the situation.
“I kindly went down there and asked them to have a little consideration. Last year, they were really good,” said Rickard, who chairs the borough safety committee.
“Here I tell people to please keep your sidewalk clean, and I couldn’t even clean my own.”
The intent of the borough ordinance is to ensure public safety, especially on Terrace Street where students walk to and from Honesdale High School, she said.
Ted Zurla, the manager of PennDOT’s White Mills location, said an employee checked out the Terrace Street issue.
“In this case ... whoever went through went a little too fast,” said Zurla, adding that the plow driver was told to slow down in that area.
Overall, PennDOT encourages drivers to reduce their speed to prevent these incidents from happening, he said.
Sometimes, however, it’s inevitable that snow will be pushed on sidewalks.
“It’s one of those things. ... It gets to the point where there is no where to put it,” he said.
Crone is concerned a fine could be issued again. She said her nephew will clear the sidewalk Thursday night and that he may have to use a backhoe.
Borough Councilman Gerald Ennis, who is in charge of borough streets, said this particular storm was unique with its ice barrage, making snow removal quite a challenge, which the borough will take into account.
“You needed a regular chopping block,” said Ennis.
As for the Terrace Street neighbors, he said: “The borough does give leniency when situations like that occur.”
