Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalk Snow Removal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cottage Grove staff seek commission feedback on sidewalk and trail snow-removal costs and options
Summary
City staff told the Public Service Commission the city clears about 112 miles of sidewalks and trails, including 25 miles adjacent to homes, and outlined equipment and cost trade-offs as commissioners and residents raised safety, equity and enforcement questions.
Cottage Grove public works staff presented a review of the city's sidewalk and trail snow-removal program and asked the Public Service Commission for feedback on whether and how to change the current city-operated approach.
The presentation, led by Ryan, the city's director of public services, said: "We remove snow from about 112 miles of sidewalk and trail throughout the city," including about 25 miles adjacent to homes, and that the city spends roughly $153,000 a year on transportation trails and sidewalks and $46,000 a year on neighborhood sidewalks.
The report explained the city’s workforce and equipment: four machines dedicated to sidewalk routes (two in year-round use), three pickup trucks with plow attachments for 8-foot-wide trails, and roughly 1,000 staff hours per year clearing sidewalks and trails based on three winters analyzed. Staff showed equipment purchase and maintenance costs — including specialized tracked machines listed at approximately $135,000–$220,000, and pickup plow attachments at about $12,000 — and noted the department plans to replace one expensive track machine with a lower-cost tractor this year.
Commissioners and residents largely supported continuing the service for its safety and access benefits, and raised operational questions. Commissioners asked staff to compile comparative data on how similar suburbs handle sidewalk clearing, sample fine/penalty structures other cities use, and a neighborhood-level map showing how many sidewalks are ‘‘landlocked’’ (city-owned segments not directly adjacent to private property) versus directly in front of homes. Ryan said staff can provide more detailed mapping and school-radius overlays to show sidewalk distances to schools and bus stops.
Several speakers emphasized student safety and bus-stop access, noting that a 48-hour rule for resident clearing could be insufficient to ensure safe walking routes during school days. One commissioner asked staff to calculate how much of the neighborhood-sidewalk mileage falls within typical school walking radii (elementary, middle and high school thresholds were mentioned during the discussion) and to show that as part of a cost/benefit comparison.
Staff suggested a design change option: moving from a 5-foot sidewalk standard to a 6-foot standard in new development to allow use of narrower, less-expensive plowing equipment. Ryan said switching to a 6-foot sidewalk would require an adjustment of the public boulevard (from a 9-foot to an 8-foot boulevard) rather than additional private property takings.
No formal action or vote was taken; staff said they would return with more specific data, comparative city surveys, school-zone overlays and cost scenarios to inform a future policy decision.
