>As Far as I know the sidewalks are your responsibility.
As Far as I know (here a long time) the sidewalks are your responsibility.
Yet over in HHK, we know many people who got new sidewalks and curbs a few years ago at no cost to them at all, the town paid for the work completely. I checked with many people we know and they confirmed that as fact.
Maybe they got a grant or something- or maybe their officials knew something ours didn’t (I don’t know).
Again, where most of the money seems to go is on paying many higher ups at VH signif. more than their counterparts are paid for same jobs in sim. size nearby towns (by pop.) like Mahwah and Paramus. And now.. even bonuses for many already highly paid VH top people, too. Yet the real work does not get done – no money.
It’s not just sidewalks, the Village has been pushing things back on the taxpayer for a while now. Other examples include the part of sewer pipe under the street that goes to your house (not just what’s under your yard).
Also, many trees that were orig. planted by the Village but on the house side of the sidewalk as opposed to between sidewalk and curb. Apparently these were made yours retroactively some years ago, even if you could prove the Village planted them in 1st place.
Yet we pay very high taxes- even the muni part. And obviously the town is still a real mess from last storm.
If we simply paid at levels more comparable to what other towns pay for the higher-ups, we’d sure save some serious money.
And the answer to most anything over at VH always seems to be “sorry, no money” – whether it’s curbs, walks, storm drains or most anything.
But the leaves in the streets, I really think it has become time to stop that whole thing. Even years when we did not have storms like this year, very often many streets around town have been dangerous from all the huge piles in them.
Few obey the “7days before” rule anyhow and it’s not enforced. Also, the pickup schedules get changed, like this year – often from necessity.
So, stop the leaves in the street altogether. People can bag them and put at the curb. Or you can gather them and take to Recycling if you want. Or you can compost in your yard. Or if you have a landscaper you can arrange whatever you want with them.
All these are very simple and viable alternatives.
Putting leaves in the street just creates big hazards. Also in many spots they then just blow down the street into everyone’s yards – even if those folks spent hours picking theirs up, they now have yours to deal with, over and over.
As I’ve posted before, a long time ago it was “tradition” here to BURN your leaves. So many people were careless that many fires resulted, and so that got changed.
It’s time to change putting leaves in streets now, too.
Last week, we almost got hit by a car pulling onto Glen from a side street- it was a low sports car and apparently could not see around a huge leaf pile someone put at a corner. Our car was heading down Glen from M/Park at the time. Close call- nearly plowed right into us.
Just one example, you can experience many more on many streets here.
It’s a problem with a pretty simple solution– just stop the practice and enforce it — at least on the busier streets. Less cost to taxpayers, more time for what crews we do have to focus on the many other things needing work, too.
It would need to be enforced with fines with some teeth, not a wink or slap on the wrist.
And though I don’t like having to see that be done, if it isn’t, people will just keep on creating the problem, sadly to say. The fines would need to be substantial enough to encourage compliance. After all, people are creating a hazard in the street when they do this.
Plus, your neighbors will appreciate your not creating skyscrapers that just blow into their yards over and over again, too.
