Monday, January 08, 2018

After The Snow: The Award For Iciest Sidewalk In The Neighborhood Goes To....

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(photo Credit: Brian)
South-West corner of Smith and Union Street at 11:20am on Saturday
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Same property on Smith Street
Only a small path along the sidewalk had been cleared
Sunday, January 7 at 5 pm
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Barely enough room for two people to walk next to each other.
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Last night, same corner. Notice how small the path along Smith Street is.

Most owners or shop keepers in Carroll Gardens shoveled their sidewalk in a timely fashion after last Thursday's snowstorm, which dumped between 6 of snow on the neighborhood.
Others took a while before they got to it, making it difficult to navigate around certain properties.  However, some did not shovel at all or did the very least that they could do, while the snow turned to ice during the frigid temperatures this week-end.

Though I am sure there are quite a few such icy stretches along the neighborhood days after the actual snowstorm, here are just two that deserve the "Iciest Sidewalk" award. 

First is the property currently for sale on the South West corner of Smith and Union Streets. 
Carroll Gardener Brian reached out to PMFA on Saturday with a photo he took of the sidewalk on Saturday morning.
He writes:
"I’ve grown increasingly irritated with non-shovelers but this one is especially egregious. TerraCRG are commercial real company on Dean Street.
This [photo] is from 11:20 or so Saturday morning so PLENTY of time."


Brian contacted one of the agents listed on TerraCRG's 'for sale' sign posted on the property. He received an answer from Dan, the agent. According to Brian, Dan "wrote back apologizing, saying they're just the broker but they'll notify the owner."

Someone did eventually come to clear a narrow path along the stretch of sidewalk, but it was barely wide enough for one person.
We ventured out on Sunday evening at 5 pm to take a look for ourselves and took the additional photos above.  We were not impressed. A full three days after the storm, that sidewalk should have been shoveled properly.

Carroll Street between Bond and the Gowanus Canal along the EMS station
The EMS parking lot cleared, the sidewalk, not so much.
(photos courtesy of Michael)

The second winner of the 'Iciest Sidewalk Award' goes to...wait for it...the EMS station at 347 Bond Street.
Michael, another local resident, sent us photos of the station's sidewalk, which he took on Sunday
evening. He writes:
"Seems the parking lot has been cleared of snow, but the sidewalk has not. So near the EMS - a good place to slip and fall!!"
How insane is this?

Just as a reminder to those who may not know or have conveniently forgotten. It is actually the law to remove snow from one's sidewalk
From New York City's Sanitation Department's web site:
"According to the NYC Administrative Code, every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person having charge of any lot or building must clean snow and ice from the sidewalks adjacent (i.e., in front of, on the side of, in back of) to their properties.
If the snow stops falling between:
7:00 a.m. and 4:49 p.m. - you must clear within four hours
5:00 p.m. and 8:59 p.m. - you must clear within fourteen hours"

Who would you give the award to in the neighborhood?


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

KITTERY NEVER puts ice melt down or shovels until WAY PAST the time to do it. They have the busiest and most slippery corner. Smith and Union. They act like they dont know about the weather but I see salt down at their back entrance. NOT where people actually walk.
Also the Paul Manafort house doesn't remove ice or snow.
KITTERY please WISE UP.

Anonymous said...

Even better, the sidewalk on Smith street running parallel to the subway b/w 2nd Pl and 4th Pl is untouched. I bet its a constant finger pointing game b/w DSNY and MTA as to who is responsible for this clean-up effort. Shame on them.

Anonymous said...

Start calling 311 every day that it is not shoveled. Maybe more than once a day. For the past 3 years the corner building on President and Smith (currently being renovated) has chronically not shoveled and keeps the place a mess.

Shelly said...

Agree about KITTERY - they're awful though I supect it's the landlord / owner who is "technically" at fault. Is it the same person in this case? The neglicence of that corner btw is pre-Kittery: whatever hamburger joint / bar was there previously and the vintage / antique shop before that. The restaurant managers SHOULD but don't give a damn and the woman who owned the antiques shop was oblvious-- though I suspect she had less than pleasant relationship with the building owner and not shoveling or salting was part of her protest?

In summer btw KITTERY is noxious for the smell of rotting fish / seafood on the Union St side; instead of sealing it securely, they just dump it and let the stench remind passersby of the Fulton Fish Market so this is part of an ongoing pattern of arrogant disregard.

Anonymous said...

Agree to last post. Kittery staff is ignorant and lazy. And they don’t have a grade posted either. For years why no inspections? No grade posted? Rats congregate here in summer. Thats my grade. R for rates.

Hjlprojections said...

The sidewalk on Smith bt Huntington and Luquer is atrocious - and they just so happen to be in front of city parks. It's deplorable that the city doesn't clean up these busy walkways.

Anonymous said...

My understanding is that all the previous restaurants in the Kittery location were owned by the same folks (or family)that own Kittery. As well as others on that block of Smith St. And I believe it is the business owner not the building owner who is responsible for snow removal. Or that is what the standard lease specifies.

Anonymous said...

My pet peeve too.
Every year the gas station on 4th and Union plows the driveways and leaves the sidewalks a mess. Sometimes they plow the gas station areas onto the sidewalks at the corner. Been meaning to file a complaint. This year no different. Speedway Station. Attendant never cares if I complain. Not their fault probably.
Also vacant space at 620 DeGraw.

Anonymous said...

Did you see the sniw packed stretch on Union in frint of Paul M's house?

Katia said...

Haha, i saw it.

Anonymous said...

Kittery was warned about new snow storm today. They acted like they had no idea what I was talking about. Like I was speaking a foreign language! Do you speak violations Jim Mamery?