Snow & Ice Removal Reminders

The snow season is quickly approaching. The District would like to remind all Downtown property owners and business tenants of the importance of complying with these requirements. Convenient, safe, customer access is the life-blood of any commercial area. The proper and timely clearing of ice and snow is essential to preserving that access. It is important for all Downtown property and business owners to review and comply with the following Town of Manchester regulations regarding the removal of snow and ice from abutting sidewalks and bumpout areas within the District. Please note that snow removal must take place within 24 hours of the end of a storm and ice cover must be removed, sanded or treated within 12 hours of the end of a storm.

Property Owners are asked to remind all tenants not to park overnight on Main Street. In the event of a snow fall, it is imperative that snow plows be able to clear all the spaces. There may also be times when DPW needs access to remove the built-up windrows.  Parked cars will prevent the crews from removing snow along the curb in that area.

Regulations

Abutting property owners shall:

Keep the entire gray public sidewalk clear of snow and ice. In areas where the sidewalk areas are wide, a minimum of eight (8) feet of width (measured from the back of the sidewalk or property line towards the gutter) should be cleared. For the convenience of customers and pedestrians, it is preferable to have all of the gray sidewalk area cleared of snow and ice.

Keep handicapped ramps clear of snow and ice. All handicapped ramps should be cleared of snow and sanded or otherwise treated for ice to a minimum of four (4) feet wide from the sidewalk and to the curb and through the snow windrow in the gutter. This applies to ramps at intersections, crosswalks and handicapped parking.

Keep a path to pedestrian push buttons clear of snow and ice. Clear a path a minimum of four (4) feet wide from the gray sidewalk to the pedestrian push buttons located in the red textured sidewalk areas.

Keep bus stops clear of snow and ice. Clear a path to all bus stops on the side of the bust stop signs from which buses arrive. Paths should be a minimum of four (4) feet wide and extend from the cleared gray sidewalk areas to the curb and should include the red textured sidewalk areas and the gutter snow windrow.

Keep fire hydrants clear of snow and ice. Fire hydrants shall be cleared of snow and ice so as to create a (4) four-foot clearance in all directions, and a (3) three-foot wide path should be cleared from the fire hydrant to the street, square or public space so that the Fire Dept. personnel shall have unimpeded access to the fire hydrant.

It is also important to:

Provide customer access to and from street front parking spaces. Where desired by owners, merchants and tenants clear passages from the sidewalks to the on-street parking spaces through the snow windrows. A minimum of one cleared passage for every 4 parking spaces is recommended.

Clear access to mailboxes, trash receptacles, & news boxes.This courtesy is appreciated by everyone.

Note: The Town of Manchester will only provide snow removal and ice control on the roadway and on sidewalks, handicapped ramps and bus stops that are along Town frontage as well as in the parking lots.

Winter Parking Ban: There shall be no parking on any public highway or designated municipally owned, leased or operated off-street parking area or lot in the Town between the hours of 2:00AM and 6:00AM from December 1 through April 1. There is a $15 fine for violations. Overnight parking by Downtown residential tenants who have purchased a long-term parking pass is only permitted in specific locations in specific Downtown lots. Information on lot locations can be obtained by contacting the Downtown Manchester Special Services District at 860-647-5276.