Take that snow and shovel it!
First, we must confess that we should've gotten right to it. But because we thought the sun would melt the snow on the sidewalk in front of the Star-Journal office, we didn't shovel.
As it turns out, the sun never shines on the sidewalk in front of our building, which faces north. And before the warmer weather we enjoyed this past week, there was quite an ice floe out there.
Loyal subscribers to our newspaper risked life and limb to get to the office. One woman asked me to escort a woman back to her car, for her safety, and I was happy to do so. But unlike the chivalrous Sir Walter Raleigh, I kept my coat on.
Thank heaven we had no mishaps in front of our building. Up in Lawrence, The Journal-World reported that icy sidewalks and parking lots had led to a number of slip-and-fall injuries. In an account that should send shivers down the spine of every business owner on Main Street, Hillsboro, one woman was interviewed from her hospital bed after she slipped and dislocated her shoulder outside a restaurant.
A Lawrence physician said, "People have been falling and hitting their heads, hurting their shoulders, fracturing their arms, dislocating their shoulders, and fracturing legs."
As we said, we should have shoveled. But we waited until the snow was so packed-down that only a miner with a pick-ax could've done the job.
The lesson we learned is that it pays to shovel snow off the sidewalks as soon as possible after it stops falling. And soon for all downtown Hillsboro businesses, it will cost us plenty if we don't.
We're not sure how much the Star-Journal's failure to shovel is to blame for the city's new ordinance, which after March 1, will require all downtown businesses to sweep their sidewalks within 12 hours after a snow. But we'll shoulder only our fair share of the blame, because we were not alone.
To prove our repentance, our deeds will include shoveling our share of snow, and then some.
But in addition to the new sidewalk rules, the city council now promises to have a better plan for removing the snow from our streets, and we're counting on them to keep their part of the bargain as well.
We think the new ordinance is a good idea. Other local cities, such as Lawrence, McPherson, Newton, and Junction City, all have similar ordinances. In some of these locales, residents are required to shovel sidewalks in front of houses as well.
As far as the $50 fine plus expenses the city is considering, we've done some checking. While it sounds expensive, it's not out of line. And the 12-hour requirement is about right, too.
In Boulder, Colo, where they know a thing or two about snow, property owners must clear their sidewalks by noon the day after a snowstorm. After a warning, the penalty is $100, with a maximum fine of $1,000 and 90 days in jail.
In Bozeman, Mont., where snows of six inches or more have been recorded as late as mid-June and as early as the end of August, sidewalks must be cleared by 9 o'clock the next business day or by noon the next non-business day, or within four hours of any snow during a business day, whichever comes first.
We're not sure if our city fathers will ever require all sidewalks in Hillsboro to be swept, but (now that our conscience is clear) we think it would be a good idea for those living near our schools to clear their sidewalks in the same timely manner.
The snow we recieved Monday night reminds us that there's a good chance that there will be snow in Hillsboro after the new ordinance takes effect on March 1.
The Old Farmer's Almanac says we can expect snow between March 6-10, and between March 23-28. The National Weather Service in Wichita reminds us that four of the top 10 worst snowfalls in recorded history happened in March.
We applaud the city council for this new ordinance, but, of course, they can't hear me clapping with my gloves on.
— GRANT OVERSTAKE
