The City of Revelstoke's public works department is asking residents to clean up their alleyways.
At Revelstoke City Council's Sept. 10 regular meeting, public works manager Darren Komonoski said firewood stacks, compost heaps, car parts, gardens and random garbage are clogging up the alleyways.
“I think we’re kind of losing the war there,” he told council.
He hoped residents would take it upon themselves to do some tidying up, saying it was an expensive undertaking for city staff to tackle the issue.
What about those back-alley gardens? Aren’t they better than a no-man’s land?
City CAO Tim Palmer said if the city needed to get emergency vehicles down the alleyway gardens and other debris can get in the way.
What about alleyways that aren’t plowed in the winter – the ones with head-high piles of snow at each end? Palmer said the city maintained contingency plans to clear the snow away rapidly if needed, and that debris in the alleyways can impede the clearing.
Council briefly discussed ways of encouraging 'ownership' of alleyways, but no formal initiatives came of it.
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What do you think? Finally? Overkill? Do you have any suggestions to make Revelstoke's alleyways better, more appealing places?