THE BRIGHT SIDE
Snow is coming.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, less snow is coming to Southern Wisconsin during the winter season of late 2021 and early 2022 but temperatures are going to be considerably colder. Accuweather, the largest online weather operation, is predicting heavier snow and more cold than recent previous seasons.
The good and bad news is that, because of global warming, just about no organization or group of meteorological experts are very good at predicting anything about the weather anymore. What does more snow, or even last year’s average’ snowfall mean to the street clearing in the City of Lake Geneva? The old controversy of whether the city should take over responsibility for shoveling the sidewalks downtown will reappear, as nothing was ever done to fix the current mess of a system (fining and charging businesses that don’t shovel right after snowfalls).
Will the BID step up, since the city won’t, and pay for all the businesses’ sidewalks to be shoveled out? The problem with businesses is that many of them are either closed during winter periods or the owners and operators are too old or infirm to get out and shovel. There’s also the problem of where the snow gets shoveled to, as the street is usually filled with piles of snow cleared by the street department but not yet hauled away…if hauled away at all. The shoveling issues will remain and rise again, as the snow falls …again.
Winter really is coming, and not just with snow. Now is the time to start preparing for the winter weather and the work and regulations it brings. A friendly reminder that the winter parking regulations begin in under three weeks. Starting November 15th through March 31st, vehicles are not allowed to park between the hours of 2 a.m. through 6 a.m. on any city street. On days that it snows no parking is allowed on any city street until snow removal is complete. On a bright note, this is the free parking season, starting on November 15th, and then running through February 1st. Sidewalks also need to be cleared for safety reasons.
The property owner is responsible for the removal of the snow and this work must be completed in twenty-four hours of the snowfall. If this is not done the city will hire out the job and bill the property owner twice the cost, along with fines. If snow removal is an issue due to physical restrictions, or the residents cannot afford to hire a service then city hall must be contacted for possible volunteer assistance. The city public works department has already begun prepping for the upcoming weather by converting the city trucks into snowplows, checking on supplies, and tuning up equipment, as well as planning policy and procedures while trying to prepare and planning for upcoming problems. This planning and prepping will help ensure a safe winter season.
Lake Photo of the Week
Beautiful Lake Como, the sister lake to Geneva.
