Now that the first major snowstorm of the season has passed, Worcester businesses and residents have a limited time to clear snow off their sidewalks before facing fines.
City Hall put out a notice Friday morning as a reminder of a city ordinance that says sidewalks must be cleared within 10 hours of the end of a snowstorm. The ordinance was put in place to make sidewalks safer for passers-by, especially children, seniors and those with disabilities.
The penalty for not complying is $75 per day.
Worcester’s public-works crews had 400 pieces of equipment out on the roads Thursday evening to clear the streets, and the Worcester School Department delayed the start of school Friday by two hours.
Worcester got 12.9 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. Other Central Massachusetts communities got hit hard, too, including Athol, which got 16.5 inches, along with Fitchburg, Lunenburg and Sturbridge, which all got more than 14 inches.
