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Submission To The Editor: Clear The Walking Paths?
Date posted - January 2, 2013
A listener e-mailed this topic of discussion in to the KIWA Studios:
“Do you think the walking path should be cleared between Western Ave and NCC for easier access to the LLC, college, and DOT?”
What do YOU think?
The entire walking trail system should be maintained for use year round. The city has the equipment and manpower.
How does I get to Hardees without the trail? I need a ride.
Can I go to Pizza Ranch???????????????
is this thing on? waiting for my ride…………….. Brrrrrr!
Couldn’t agree more! Their is absolutely no reason at all the entire trail system is not maintained year round. Residents are required to clear snow from and maintain their all important sidewalks. The city should do the same with the trails.
PLOW UR OWN TRAIL! PULL URSELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS! MAN FENDS FOR SELF! I DONT WANNA WASTE MY TAX DOLLARS ON A STINKIN TRAIL! WEAR UR SNOW BOOTS. MAN UP. DONT TREAD ON ME!
Those slackers would derive some satisfaction if they would merely shovel that entire trail with a snow shovel! And who needs exercising? Shovelling snow would help their heart…….or their heart attack.
Lol. Did you sense my sarcasm? :D I was counting on a hundred thumbs-ups! Nice (sarcastic) rebuttal!
**Stealth-mode!**
LOL, and I got two thumbs down for that comment! LOL
Plow the trail so 2 people can go walk in 20degree weather? Go buy a treadmill. Better yet stimulate the economy and buy a membership to the courtyard or wellness center.
Or you could stimulate the economy by going out to NCC to use their new wellness center. But you’d have to drive there, because the trail wouldn’t be plowed! LOL So much for getting exercise.
Clear the trail after everything else is done. That little gesture, can get people walking, running, or biking on nice days. I’ve wanted to use it when there was still a snow drift between the motel and the bridge. So I just rode my bike on the side of the road to slow cars down. There has not been a week this fall – winter that my wife has not done a 10 mile run outside, give her a place to run so she don’t have to dodge the slush from cars all the time. And yes I know that she is CRAZY!! But still, clear the path.
Clear it. I used to bike it all the time. Walk the dog all the time. Run it all the time. I say clear it. Heck even hire it done. There are a few crews here in town with snow blowers that could tackel the job, and mean snow blowers – buckets on skids or whatever may eat up loss concrete, make a mess of the grass to push the snow into. With a blower its gone! Maybe get them on board as a donation of such to the trail committee for there snow removal work. Yes, doesnt have to be the first thing on the list but the following or even the 3rd day after a snow is fine. Sioux Center and orange city hire contractors for there trails, they are open to the most part year around. I know one crew that could handle it. I am going to call him now for a responce.
I can understand why some of you want the trail cleared, however, do you know how many people will complain if the City has to pay overtime to clear the trail…not an efficient use of tax dollars or the City employees time!
Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps the “life” of the trail will be longer if there is no equipment clearing snow off of it??
Hey, if they don’t have time do it later, when they are not on overtime. If we get a bunch of snow they might be busy for a day or two, maybe three. But, city employees can get a little bored in the winter.
Has it occurred to you that when the snow falls the ground is frozen, solid. The equipment won’t do jack to it. It’s during the spring – summer, when the ground is soft that equipment is hard on the trail. You know, when the city is driving pickups, skid loaders and lawn mowers on it.
We have the trail might as well use it.
If you are that worried about your tax money, worry about what is going on in DC. Your city taxes are a drop in the bucket to what you send to uncle sam.
I spoke with a guy I know about the snow on the trail. He expressed interested and said he would talk to the city about what, if, when, where, how type of thing. Gotta get people involved, make some calls, get things going, progress will soon follow.
when the city decides to have a “clean” street and remove snow from their sidewalks, I will then have mine clean. By the way, why do the businesses in the downtown area get special preference of having het snow removed from their sisewalks at the expense of the public?
George – in responce to that I dont know – I would image city will say that way the snow is off the walks, into the streets for the street crew to take the snow away vs waiting till 9 am in the morning and having the business owner just shovel the walks into the streets where the parking is. Now you bring up an interesting point though. Go check sioux center and Orange City – they actually hire different snow removal crews (keeping business local) that do this for the businesses uptown. OC has a set price but that crew may do there walks 1,2,3 or more times a day if it is snowing. If not, that crew needs to have all walks cleared by 4:30 am for the street crew to come through. Sioux center is the same way. Who pays this snow removal crew (business) the local business owners. I know there are a few owners that dont like this but as the city, thats what they decided, and have been doing for years. Now take this a step further – what about the parking lots? For instance the one by NW bank, across from JB bar – I understand that city owned but who parks there? In sioux center and OC there are two main contractors that do this for the city – once again who is charged?? Something to think about.
The trail is a wonderful asset, but has anyone considered the liability of the city to maintain the trails in the winter. Think about this, what if they have the trails cleared one day and during the night we have a foggy mist that freezes on the trail, now the next morning a person proceeds to walk on the trail, falls, breaks a bone or a worse injury. Who is liable? One would assume the city of Sheldon, since each home owner in Sheldon is responsible and can be held accountable for a fall on sidewalks in front of their homes. There is a option- Snowshoes or cross country ski’s!
Oh, good point Rainbow. We better watch out some one might sue for falling in one of the city’s parking lots, or sidewalks, or, crap, the streets – oh and car crashes. I think it might be best if we ban everyone from city property during the winter. Sell the snow plows, and shut the town down – go south.
Something about “inherently dangerous” something not liable something something.
That’s why the city is still running, even with the skate park. You have to prove “gross negligence”. When it’s slick because of an ice storm, the city is not grossly negligent.
Besides, we already get ice on the trail before it even snows.