With the onset of winter weather, officials with the City of Wheeling want to remind property owners of their responsibility to ensure walkways are cleared of potentially hazardous snow and ice.

Public Works Director Russell Jebbia said that in accordance with legislation passed by City Council in 2017, sidewalks within the following commercial areas of the City must be cleared within 24 hours of the weather event: 10th Street to 23^rd Street including Water, Main, Market and Chapline Streets in the downtown; Zane Street from the Back Channel Bridge to the Fort Henry Bridge on Wheeling Island and the 2100 and 2200 blocks of National Road in the Elm Grove area.

“In the event that an owner or occupant fails to keep the sidewalk free from snow and ice within a 24-hour period, the City Manager can give written notice to the property owner and then order the removal of the snow and/or ice. The owner will then be billed for the City’s service to clear the walkway,” he said, noting the City’s code enforcement officers will monitor compliance.

Jebbia added the written notice can be personally served upon the owner, can be posted upon the said property or can be sent to the owner via regular or certified mail. If City staff does remove the snow and ice, the property owner can be billed at a rate of $175 per hour and assessed an accrued interest rate of six percent per year if the fee goes unpaid. If the bill remains unpaid, the City is authorized to file a lien.

“In the interest of safety, we respectfully encourage property owners to be mindful of the hazards of snow and ice and ask that they do their best to keep their sidewalks during weather events this winter,” he said.