[Adopted 11-24-1980 by Ord. No. 25,
amended in its entirety 12-21-1994]
All owners of property adjacent to or abutting on public sidewalks shall
be responsible for the removal of snow and/or ice from such sidewalks within
24 hours after the cessation of the storm causing such snow and/or ice accumulation.
If such snow and/or ice is not removed from such sidewalks, the Board of Selectmen
may cause the same to be removed, and the cost of such removal shall be charged
to, and paid by, the owners of the property concerned.
All owners of property adjacent to or abutting on public sidewalks shall
be responsible for keeping such sidewalks free of hedges, shrubbery grass
and overgrown plantings. If such maintenance is not provided, the Board of
Selectmen may cause the same to be accomplished, and the cost of such work
shall be charged to, and paid by, the owners of the property concerned.
The Board of Selectmen shall adopt, and may amend from time to time
as required, permit fees and specifications concerning construction of driveways.
In adopting or amending specifications, the Selectmen shall include, in their
consideration, the location of a driveway with respect to its effect on roadway
drainage, road safety, the width and character of the road affected, the density
of traffic thereon and the character of such traffic. No permit shall be issued
unless the driveway entrance or exit shall conform to the specifications.
Such specifications may include the requirement for insurance and for bonding
to ensure completion of all required improvements. Should any driveway improvements
not be completed as required within the time limits as set forth in the specifications,
then the bond shall be called and the work completed by the Town or a contractor
selected by the Town, as required by the specifications.
The Board of Selectmen shall adopt, and may amend from time to time,
permit fees and specifications concerning excavation within a Town road right-of-way
and public land. No permit shall be issued unless the proposed work conforms
to the specifications. Such specifications may include the requirement for
insurance, and for a bond to ensure the permanent restoration and stabilization
of all damaged or disturbed surfaces.
Whenever an encroachment permit has been issued and the regulations
herein are not complied with, or in the case when a permit has not been issued,
a stop-work order shall be delivered to the person, firm or corporation, or
their representative. Upon such delivery, all work shall cease, the excavation
refilled or otherwise made safe and secure, and the encroachment permit shall
be deemed to be suspended until the Director of Public Works authorizes in
writing a resumption of the work. The Director of Public Works or his authorized
agent shall be authorized to issue stop-work orders.
Any person, firm, or corporation found guilty of any violation of this
article shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $50 per day for each provision
of the article thus violated. Each day of such violation shall be deemed a
separate offense. In addition to paying the above prescribed fines, if any
violation is a result of conducting work without an approved encroachment
permit, then the required permit fees for such permit shall be doubled.
The Board of Selectmen shall hear and decide requests for variances
from the specifications, and appeals, when any party or individual is aggrieved
by a decision or determination made by the Director of Public Works. Any such
request for a variance or appeal shall be in writing, and shall state the
specific section(s) of the specifications and the reason for which the request
for variance or appeal is being made, as well as all reasonable options and
alternatives that have been exhausted prior to making such request. In the
case of an appeal, the aggrieved party or person shall have a period of 45
days from the date of any decision or determination by the Director of Public
Works to appeal such action to the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen
shall have no jurisdiction to entertain an appeal filed beyond said forty-five-day
period. In the consideration of any request for variance or appeal, the Board
of Selectmen shall obtain input from the Director of Public Works, Fire Chief,
and ranking member of the Police Department, and shall include in its consideration
the impacts upon highway drainage, highway safety, and emergency access.