City Of Duluth Will Be Cracking Down On Homeowners To Keep Sidewalks Clear This Winter

Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj  said that city staff will be enforcing that snow be removed from sidewalks and roads within 24 hours after the snow subsides. Obviously representatives from the City of Duluth will not be able to patrol every neighborhood in the city so, they are relying mostly on people calling in to complain and report which property is not removing the snow.

For me I was very lucky in all the years we lived in our home that one of our neighbors with a snowblower generally would clear out the entire block. But there were times I was out with the shovel tossing mounds of snow and I dreaded every minute of it, but I knew it had to be done especially with the droves of people that walked on our sidewalk on a daily basis.

A flyer is being sent to every address including tenants and property owners advising them of the snow removal policy and also to review parking regulations so that city plows can get through safely and efficiently.

A big change will be coming for business owners downtown, Canal Park, West Duluth and other areas in that they will be responsible for clearing snow on public sidewalks in front of their businesses. In the past city workers from Parks and Rec would clear some of these sidewalks, but due to budget cutbacks they will be assigned in different positions. Last year the sidewalks were an absolute mess in downtown Duluth where many times you would have to traverse a hill to get to the sidewalk from the street or walk all the way around.

Then on the flip side is the city vowing to do a better job plowing the streets. Jim Benning, Duluth's director of public works and utilities said:

Staff will attempt to tackle plowing in a targeted manner this year, especially in light of criticism that was leveled at the city for its response to a series of snowfalls that paralyzed traffic for several days around Thanksgiving last year

If you feel a road, sidewalk or alley has been neglected, you are encouraged to notify the city by filing a single online complaint at duluthmn.gov/snow.