Grayslake sends crew out to deal with sidewalk snow mess
Grayslake public works crews used a compact wheel loader and dump truck to remove three to five feet of snow from a stretch of sidewalk at English Meadows subdivision that a resident said was improperly pushed there by village plows.
Marty Kennedy, 32, said the heavy equipment the village sent to his block late Friday afternoon backed up his contention the frozen snow piles were beyond what residents could have cleared with shovels or blowers.
"It wasn't some tiny machine they brought out," said Kennedy, who plans to address what he contends has been persistent snow plowing problems at English Meadows when the Grayslake village board meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Mayor Rhett Taylor said public works evaluated the walks around London Court and Lexington Lane before deciding to send crews for the follow-up work. He said the village is responsive to resident concerns.
"If it's more than normal plow operations would leave behind, they address it," Taylor said Monday.
Kennedy said some of his concern stemmed from a local law stating Grayslake residents can be hit with a fine if they don't clear snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to their homes within 24 hours of a storm.
However, Kennedy said, village plows should not push snow onto sidewalks cleared by residents and create an ordinance violation. A neighbor, Jeff McLaughlin, said he was threatened with a $200 fine after the village dumped snow on his clean walk last year.
Grayslake's compact loader and dump truck visited London Court at Lexington Lane a day after Kennedy and McLaughlin, 32, went public with their beef about the three- to five-foot snow piles. The plowing occurred after snow pounded the area Feb. 9 and 10.
Contending the snow removal woes date back at least two years, Kennedy said he and some neighbors decided the village board needs to hear their plowing concerns at tonight's meeting.
Kennedy said he plans to show elected officials pictures he took of the heavy equipment getting rid of the snow piles from the sidewalks near his house, along with other areas of English Meadows where he claims plows haven't performed well.
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Stories</h2>
<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=358536">Residents say Grayslake violating its own snow ordinance <span class="date">[2/12/10]</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>