Hailey Urges Citywide Cleanup Before Old Man Winter Arrives

The city of Hailey is urging business owners and residents to clean up their properties before Old Man Winter arrives.

The city this week completed cleaning its flower baskets, planters and outdoor street furniture and wants others to do something similar.

One of the big concerns are streets. The city said that residential streets are 60 feet wide, but only 24 feet are paved. A lot of personal items often get left in the gap between the paved portion and private property during the warmer months, but if they're still there winter winter blows they cause problems for snow removal.

This area, along with the alleys, should be cleaned up, as snow removal is far more efficient and effective when the plows run unobstructed. Business use and storage are never allowed in the rights of way.

“Do your part before it snows and before the city tows,” Mayor Fritz Haemmerle said in a statement. Under city code “parking restrictions are in effect between Nov. 1 and May 1 each year. Violations of our ordinance cause safety problems for the entire community in our snow removal efforts.”

For residents with items lying around the yard that should be disposed of the city will hold its annual fall yard waste cleanup on Oct. 26. Yard debris, including 3-foot sections of tree branches and yard clippings, can be taken on that day to the Hailey Park and Ride Lot, for disposal.

The city said it is requesting the following actions from business owners and residents:

• Remove vehicles and personal belongings from the public right of way adjacent to your property (street and/or alley side of property). All vehicles must be removed by Nov 1.
• Remove non-permitted temporary landscaping in the public right of way, such as front-yard vegetable gardens that extend beyond the private property line. These temporary, non-permitted features must be removed before winter. They can impede snow removal, damage city equipment, or be destroyed by city equipment.
• Act on Notices requesting removal of belongings or temporary features. Even if you don’t receive a notice, you are responsible for removal of these items.
• The city is not responsible for damages that may occur in public rights of way, even if the work residents completed was done under a city-issued encroachment permit.