Lehighton OK’s revisions to sidewalks, snow removal ordinance
Lehighton will make revisions to its sidewalk ordinance and snow shoveling ordinance.
On a slim 4-3 vote, borough council agreed on Monday to advertise an amendment to the borough’s sidewalk ordinance.
In favor were Councilwomen Autumn Abelovsky and Lisa Perry, along with Councilmen Joe Flickinger and Ryan Saunders. Opposed were Councilmen Jared McEvoy and Darryl Arner, along with Council President Grant Hunsicker.
After the vote, Hunsicker was adamant concerning his expectations.
“I want it on record that every piece of our property be cleaned before any ticket is given out,” Hunsicker said.
Before the vote, Hunsicker said he doesn’t believe the borough can clean their property within 48 hours, therefore, they shouldn’t ticket residents who don’t have their properties cleaned.
However, Perry said she didn’t quite see things the same way.
“It’s a safety issue for the kids walking home from school on the sidewalks,” Perry said. “There’s also the issue of us being sued.”
Hunsicker said the borough should have a crosswalk at 12th Street, but added the borough isn’t allowed to have one there.
He then suggested someone go to the next school board meeting to discuss the matter with the district.
Abelovsky noted that the borough has offered a crosswalk, as there have been concerns addressed about people crossing Mahoning Street from 12th Street instead of using the crosswalk at 11th Street.
Further, she said she believes the borough should offer an ordinance to clear a 36-inch-wide path.
That clearly raised the ire of Hunsicker, who said that “unless the borough can clean every inch of their property, I can’t go along with it.”
Abelovsky said, “Inconvenience does not supersede the safety of our residents.”
After the meeting, borough Manager Nicole Beckett said the amendments to the ordinance address properties which do not have sidewalks.
Beckett said the language “in the absence of a sidewalk, a 36-inch walkway path adjacent to the curb and street” defines a walking path. Snow and ice would be required to be removed from sidewalks and walking paths.
She said the current sidewalk ordinance stated sidewalks would need to be cleared with a minimum of 36 inches. The amendments now define a pathway as well.
Council’s decision comes after it agreed on a 3-1 vote at a special meeting last month to approve the advertisement to amend sections of the ordinances.
Abelovsky, Saunders and Perry were in favor at that time, with Hunsicker opposed.
Hunsicker said at that time the borough has properties “all over the place” where people would have to shovel 36-inch-wide paths.
After further discussion, it was then decided that council would hold off on approving the matter until the full slate of council members were able to vote on the matter.
In April, Abelovsky asked to make revisions to the borough’s sidewalk ordinance and snow removal ordinance.
Abelovsky said doing so would not only lend to the safety of the borough for pedestrians, but also add to the curb appeal of the homes.