Parks commissioner: sidewalk expansion would strain staff; vendor contracts or new hires could cost significantly

Joe Casey, the town's parks commissioner, told the board that adding broader sidewalk maintenance tasks would require substantial new resources. Using the list of potential sidewalks provided to his department, he estimated about 8.5 miles of "machine-friendly" sidewalks and 1.8 miles of labor-intensive sidewalks that require shovel work. For a six-inch snowstorm he estimated roughly 152 additional staff hours would be needed to clear the additional sidewalks and said each additional full-time worker (salary, overtime and benefits) would cost about $100,000 annually.

Casey said the parks department could not realistically absorb a major increase in sidewalk responsibilities without new personnel, vendors or a retainer arrangement: "I just don't see how the town could really pull this off unless we actually really hired a lot of part timers somehow," he said. Board members and staff discussed union constraints, the difficulty of finding reliable seasonal contractors without a retainer, and the trade-offs between hiring full-time staff versus contracting a vendor with a monthly fee.

The board explored practical priorities for expanded service: prioritizing sidewalks that serve train stations, heavily used roads and public facilities; asking DPW and building maintenance to coordinate on responsibilities; and considering a code change that would give property owners more time to clear nonessential sidewalks after heavy snow. Casey warned that longer snow clearance windows raise liability concerns and that salting and liability would need to be factored into any new program.

The parks commissioner said he will work with DPW and building maintenance to craft a joint report on staffing, cost estimates and potential contracting options for the board to review.