BOISE, Idaho — When Ada County gets serious snowfall, like what was seen early Wednesday morning, Boise City and Ada County code requires residents and business owners to remove snow from the sidewalks in front of their property.
Code standard is to make sure that the sidewalk is safe to travel on - whether for the elderly, postmen, or those who require additional help - sidewalks should be safe for all of our neighbors.
"There are miles and miles of sidewalk in the county in the city, so if everyone does their part - it's just a little bit of work for everybody," Tyler Johnson, code compliance and community resources manager for the City of Boise said. "ACHD is responsible for moving the snow on the streets, they do not have the resources to get rid of all the snow on all the sidewalks. So that's why we try to have everyone pitch in and do their part."
Do their part - to make sidewalks accessible for neighbors of all abilities in our communities.
Snow making the sidewalks inaccessible can have an impact on residents like Zach Sherman. Sherman uses a wheelchair. After Saturday's snowfall - he says he had just left his Boise apartments to walk his two dogs when his wheelchair got stuck in the snow.
Sherman had to call four different neighbors before he was finally able to get help.
"I always try and stay calm, and at first it's like, "Okay, I can get out of this, it's two inches of snow,'" Sherman said. "But not having a second arm, and then no legs - I'm not able to stand up or move around. It gets to feel very helpless very quickly. It's not a panic that sets in but you're like, 'Is anyone around? Is anyone driving past? Is anyone walking down the sidewalk? Is anyone awake in the building?'"
Boise City code requires residents and businesses to remove snow by 9 a.m., failing to do so could result in a misdemeanor. However, the city is willing to work with property owners who receive complaints.
"It's not always feasible for everyone," Johnson said. "Depending on when you work, you may not be able to remove it until you get home from work afterwards. So the code is very specific to 9 a.m., and we try to work with residents if we get a complaint to have them clean up their own property to make sure that the sidewalks are safe for the traveling public."
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.