UPDATE: Towns Response To Questions Of Unshoveled Sidewalk, Plow It In Some More

UPDATE:
At Tuesday night's Westfield Town Council meeting, the town council was made aware of a dangerous condition at the cul-de-sac'd intersection of Cambridge Rd. and Central Ave.  Snow has accumulated at the crosswalk where Jefferson school children cross Central Ave. with the assistance of a school crossing guard. 

Mayor Skibitsky's response to the question of who owns the sidewalk, "The Town (Westfield) does."

The sidewalk that leads to the crosswalk in the picture below, has been inaccessible to the schoolchildren that cross Central Ave. on a daily basis ever since the first snowstorm of the season.

To compound an already dangerous situation, today, the town pushed more snow down Cambridge Rd. and onto the "Dead End" cul-de-sac of Cambridge. Correction: a utility company piled the snow on top of the town plowed pile.

With children returning to school in the morning, an already dangerous condition jeopardizing the safety of schoolchildren has been made worse.

The following is an email sent tonight, to Mayor Skibitsky and Town Coucil members.

Dear Mayor and Town Council,

    
      At last night's town council meeting, the unshoveled sidewalk leading to the crosswalk at the cul-de-sac'd intersection of Central Ave. and Cambridge Rd. was brought to your attention.  This piece of town property has gone unshoveled since the first snowstorm of the season. 

     
     On the other hand, Ms. Enculescu has met her newfound responsibility to have the newly constructed pedestrian sidewalk abutting her property, cleared of snow after each snowstorm as per town ordinance.  I have personally assisted her with this obligation after the town bestowed this chore upon her as a result of it's decision to construct a pedestrian crosswalk and sidewalk in front of her house. 
    
     I have also assisted my neighbors and the school crossing guard on Everson Pl. by clearing the snow from sidewalks at the intersection of Everson Pl. and Westfield Ave. so that the parents dropping their Kindergarten aged children off at school are not forced to walk in the street.  The record snowfall this winter coupled with the benefit of owning a large snowblower has motivated me to assist my neighbors.  It's the right thing to do.

    
     What is disturbing is that after the Town Council had been advised of this condition and their obligation to clear the snow was inferred, it was made worse today by DPW workers plowing Cambridge.  Snow was plowed into a pile at the end of the cu-de-sac and the mound blocking access to the sidewalk has grown from 18 inches to approximately 7 feet. (Please see attached photos)

    
     The safety of Westfield's schoolchildren was emphasized by Councilman Ciarrocca and Mayor Skibitsky when this new pedestrian light was installed and the crosswalk at Clover was relocated to Cambridge.  Why is it that the town is willing to jeopardize the safety of those same schoolchildren by allowing this condition to exacerbate after the town was advised of the hazardous condition?

     Your immediate response to this matter is paramount.  It's the right thing to do.

                                                                                                 
                                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                  Gregory W. Kasko