The Town of Estes sent out a reminder email the day before Thanksgiving reminding residents and businesses about the town’s snow routes and the requirement that property owners – both residential and business – need to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of when the snow stops falling.
It is great that the town recognizes the need for citizen cooperation to move cars off roads so the plows can do their work. And it is important for property owners to clear sidewalks. We all have to do our part and pitch in.
In that light, it is also important for the Town to attend to all the parking lots, including the Davis Parking Lot which too oven gets overlooked when it comes to clearing snow.
The Davis Parking Lot along Moraine Avene is one of the few places people can park near the downtown area without having to pay for parking during paid parking season.
It provides parking for visitors who want to shop downtown or to patronize nearby places to catch a drink such as Snowy Peaks Winery, The Barrel, and Full Throttle Distillery.
The town does not prioritize the Davis Parking Lot when it comes to snow removal, despite the fact that the business along Moraine Avenue contributes to both property tax coffers and also generate sales tax.
Davis Parking Lot was not plowed after we received more than six inches of snow on Tuesday, Nov. 26 and was not scheduled to be plowed until after the Thanksgiving Holiday. It should have been plowed at some point on Wednesday, Nov. 27, as per the 24-hour rule, but it was not taken care of until I called the Town Public Works Division to notify them of their error.
Why is Davis Parking Lot frequently overlooked for snow removal?
If I fail to remove the snow from the sidewalk in front of The Barrel I could get a ticket.
The businesses in the downtown corridor have had serious challenges over the past two years during the Downtown Loop construction project. As a business owner and taxpayer, I would hope the town would do everything possible to not make it difficult for people to come back downtown.
And one of the things it could do is to remove the snow from a parking lot that serves many of the businesses affected by the Loop project.