Letter to the Editor

Long past time

Oh look! It snowed this week. As I guessed this summer, the partially collapsed building on Front Street is still obstructing a sidewalk and the parking lane in front. Are we going to end up having to pay extra money for snowplowing and removal around it this year? Is the building owner paying Public Works directly for that? Have they been paying fines for obstructing public infrastructure well beyond a reasonable limit? It has been eight months since part of the roof collapsed. Gotta wonder, how many other communities fail to enforce removal of public infrastructure obstructions for that long? Why are we? As a friend asked, did they shore up the building to prevent further collapse this winter? If the building does collapse further, will that wall hold or will it be knocked into the driving lanes and cause a worse problem? This building is both an eyesore and an obstruction. Long past time for the Mayor, Council, and Municipal staff to put pressure on the building owner to get this cleaned up, the building made safe or removed, and the obstructions gone. Taxes here are way too high for us to have to pay even more for snow removal around obstructed public property. 
Dorothy Broderick