Sidewalk buried

By Dan King

Some sidewalks in the Village of Whitehall simply can’t be cleared of snow at this point, officials say.Wheeler Avenue sidewalk frozen

“We’ve tried to clear some of the bad sidewalks, but some of that snow up on the sidewalks is so frozen and hard, you just can’t move it anywhere,” said DPW Supervisor Don Williams.

Over the past few weeks, residents have written letters or visited the village board to say that various village sidewalks were impassable, but with ongoing snow and cold temperatures, village officials weren’t optimistic that the sidewalks will become any more navigable in the near future.

“I know we encourage people to shovel their walks, but with all the snow we’ve got, some of the walks are just under too much snow,” Mayor Peter Telisky said. “There just isn’t really anywhere to put all the snow. There isn’t much we can do about it.”

As the village’s Department of Public Works continues to work long hours to remove snow from village streets, much of the snow that’s plowed out of the streets can pile up on the sidewalks. Williams said that the plowing process compacts the snow and firms it up, making it more difficult to remove.

Some sections of sidewalks have been buried in multiple feet of snow, making it tough to get around the village by walking. The most recent letter to the village said that the areas around Williams Street and Wheeler Avenue were particularly submerged in a wintery mix.

Village officials said that residents may be stuck with just letting Mother Nature do her job to clear the snow and ice.

Last week DPW workers began knocking down and removing some of the huge snow banks on village streets, to help widen roads and make it easier for vehicular traffic to navigate village streets.