Ocean Grove. Feb. 10, 2010. By Paul Goldfinger ©
TO THE EDITOR BLOGFINGER.net: 2014.
“UNSHOVELED SIDEWALKS”
Last week I nearly took a dangerous “header” slipping on a safe looking icy sidewalk that was covered with a dusting of snow. I decided to look into why Neptune takes no action on snow covered sidewalks although it plows snow covered streets to facilitate vehicle passage.
I realize it affects only those of us living in OG in winter however, that I could have slammed my head on the concrete with frightening possible consequences I looked further.
It turns out the ORDINANCE covering this, #1369, was adopted Feb. 22, 1988. It states: (condensed version)
1. “… owners or tenants ….shall remove…from the sidewalks….all snow and ice within twelve hours of day light after same shall be formed…thereon.”
2. ” …it shall be the duty of the duly authorized officer having charge of the streets and highways to remove or cause to be removed such snow and ice…”
3. ” The cost for removing …shall forthwith become a lien…”
5 “This Ordinance …repeal(s) Ordinance #157”.
Presumably it was a tough winter that year that indicated the need for a new ordinance to handle a problem.
I plan to attend the Township Committee meeting Monday evening and, during PUBLIC COMMENT at the end of the meeting, request the ordinance be enforced, (sensibly).
Kennedy Buckley.
Mr. Buckley is a resident of Broadway in Ocean Grove, NJ
Feb. 6, 2014
Sorry, but we are not going to start an employment bulletin board. This sounds like something the Homeowners Association might want to take on; or the Chamber of Commerce; or the DPW @Neptune Township/
If there is a landscaping company or other enterprise that wants to advertise their services inn Blogfinger, they can contact us for more information at Blogfinger@verizon.net
Shelley… Excellent suggestion that fines be levied; I envision a system whereby Township employees shovel the offending sidewalks, liens be assessed, and the money collected from liens applied to offset the cost of shoveling…might even become a profit center.
If anyone knows a local person who would like this side job I would be happy to hire…please post
The logic that absentee homeowners should get special “tax consideration” for shoveling escapes me. As a lifelong full-time resident of Ocean Grove who has never used the school system I guess that means I should get credit for the many thousands of taxes I have paid for the schools. That would be nice, but it will never happen.
Shoveling absentee owners’ sidewalks would only result in more taxes. Perhaps the law on the books should be enforced and fines levied like in other communities. This at least has the potential to generate more income and perhaps lower taxes.
Gloria. You could phone Code Enforcement.
But the “tried and true” way to get action from any level of government is a paper trail. Start by filing a complaint form. Ask for a copy so you can later follow up with a Request For Official Government Record (OPRA) form. Be sure to get date stamped copies to find out what action was, or was not, taken.
This same procedure would apply for grass; I see liens approved against property owners regularly at Township agenda meetings for not following property maintenance regulations such as overgrown vegetation.
Steve:
An official has discretion whether or not to write a summons. Hopefully no summons would be issued if the plows did it. I saw that sidewalks on the west side of Pilgrim Pathway were buried by plowing to the curb. Many South Side sidewalks (no plowing to blame) are still snow and ice covered after almost two weeks after the big snows.
Ken.
Editor’s Note—- Bob: That stretch helped maintain the integrity of getting to and from AP temporarily. It is the responsibility of the OGCMA, and it will be changed during Phase II of the boardwalk reconstruction. —–Paul
Curious as to whose responsibility clearing the “temporary” asphalt walkway that connects the end of the boardwalk with the AP Casino might be—- Neptune Township, Asbury Park or CMA?
It was still covered in thick ice last Sunday, even after a couple of days of warmer temperatures. I haven’t been brave enough to go out there since Monday’s storm, but I’d be surprised if it’s in better shape now.
I live on a double lot and make sure I shovel as well as checking on my neighbors and shoveling my elderly neighbor next door. I had just finished clearing sidewalks when a snowplow came swiftly along pushing snow back over cleared sidewalk.
I understand that’s Murphy’s law, but the plow then pushed all the snow and ice onto the cleared crosswalk making a four foot pile of unmovable ice. I ran out asking the driver why he had to pile the snow at crosswalk and he said his job was merely to clean the streets. He said he wasn’t responsible for sidewalks at which point I asked who will be responsible when someone breaks their neck trying to cross his cleared street.
Well Ken maybe OG advocates aren’t making a strong enough case (including OG residents on township committees) that we are paying a higher proportion of the township budget than other sections of the township and that OG contributes in many diverse ways to the area’s economy.
Sometimes: You sound like a person who won’t let any ice grow under your feet. —Paul
I live near the old Sampler property. It has not been shoveled (neither heck nor main) It’s supposedly in foreclosure but as far as I know the Koplitz corporation still ‘owns’ it. Who do I call to make a complaint? the Town or the police? (as a matter of fact it would be nice if they mowed it in the summer as well)
I sincerely doubt that Neptune Township has the resources to clear all of the sidewalks that it is responsible for, let alone those of all homeowners in the Township who have not done it for themselves (for whatever reason). Trying to single-out individual homeowners in Ocean Grove seems like a slippery slope.
Radar,
I doubt Neptune would put a line item in the budget to shovel Ocean Grove’s sidewalks. What about Shark River Hills? Midtown? Gables? West Neptune? Not likely.
Elsewhere a commenter offered Ocean Grove Hardware as a suggestion. My own proposal would be that snow shoveling required for a particular property be handled by the already established procedure.
In cases when the grass is too high needing to be cut. Neptune gets it done and puts a lien on the property. These liens are approved regularly at the Township Agenda Meetings twice monthly.
ken
As of yesterday, there were still un-shoveled walks in town. On my little block neighbors kind of look out for each other. Our walks are very short so it really isn’t that big a deal to clear them. As an aside, there are still ‘plowed in’ cars that haven’t been moved since the storms. I don’t understand why, when one side is plowed, car owners aren’t required to do alternated side parking so the whole street can be cleared.
Considering the inordinate amount of taxes distant absentee OG homeowners pay for police protection, garbage collection, and schools (and not directly benefitting from the last two items) maybe there is a tradeoff
somewhere in the township budget to accomplish shoveling.
Many(but not all) unshoveled sidewalks are because owner isn’t living there . Summer only or weekend only resident. However nonetheless it is there responsibility to make sure that there sidewalks are shoveled. They should hire a snow service or make arrangements with trustworthy less fortunate OG locals or neighbors.
Joe Clark, that is a great idea. I would put someone on retainer to clear my sidewalk (as a part time resident, I am not always in OG when it snows or 12 hours later, as the regulation requires). I wonder how we could find out who in town is interested in that job and connect him or her to the part time residents? We’d also have to figure out a way to know that it was done but a texted photo would do that with no problem.
I have home on Stockton and am a summer resident. Two years ago I received a letter from township warning me that if I did not clear snow from sidewalk I would receive a fine. Since that time I employ same service as my year round neighbors not to avoid fine but because its the right thing to do.
This would be a great opportunity for the less fortunate living in OG to make a few bucks shoveling sidewalks.
On our block of Embury, 90% of the walks were clear. Then Neptune plowed again, pushing large chunks of ice and solid snow blocks onto the sidewalk, and creating a berm the length of street. Impossible to climb over safely,
I appreciate the plowing and the shovelling – but sometimes, winter is too much!!