Police caution plowing snow into streets

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Plowing or blowing snow was a popular activity over the weekend as a late-Saturday night/early-Sunday morning storm dropped more than a foot of snow on southern Aroostook County.
    The Houlton Police Department reported no major accidents as a result of the storm, but the department has noticed an increase in complaints on people plowing or blowing snow into the roadway.
    According to Lt. Daniel Pelletier of the Houlton Police Department, it is illegal to plow snow into the road for the town’s road crew to clear later. It is also against both town and state ordinances to leave trails of snow in the road when plowing out a driveway or yard.
    “You are also not supposed to plow your snow across the street into your neighbor’s yard,” he said.
    Those found guilty of plowing or leaving snow in the road may be fined upwards of $500, according to Pelletier.
    Additionally, Pelletier said sidewalks in the downtown area must also be cleared and free of ice or be subject to a fine of $10 per day. It is the individual responsibilities of each business owner to clear the area in front of their sidewalks.
    Naturally, the number of complaints coming into the local police station increase following a storm and this past weekend was no exception. Pelletier said the department received numerous complaints about snow plowed into the roadway.
    “If it doesn’t snow, there’s no problems,” he said. “Given the amount of snow we had, people were surely frustrated with how much snow there was and where to put it all. People usually want to be good neighbors and not complain, but that’s not always the case.”