A huge part of the difficulty in Boulder Hill is that the sidewalks are adjacent to the street with no parkway in between. That creates a situation where the snowplows push the snow right up onto the freshly shoveled sidewalks. It's nearly impossible to keep them clean.

For what it's worth- the kids who walk in front of our house from the Jr. High are so ill behaved and are usually swearing out loud at each other and running into people's lawns that I couldn't care less to help them make it home easier. And that includes pretty much the majority of kids who end up walking in front of our house. I can't remember the last time I saw any decent kids not acting obnoxiously.

Isn't it a village ordinance to keep your sidewalk clear? Granted, the police have better things to do, but maybe if these home owners were given I citation and had to pay a fine they'd shovel their sidewalks.

Could the Patch confirm that there are now laws in place that do not hold residence responsible if an injury occurs or has an ordinance. I am wondering if some people are still under the impression there is some liability since there was decades ago but now many laws have changed. That may be a reason some residence don't but hopefully with the above plea and some reassurance from Patch they may make a change. To the another poster: I hope that one day someone doesn't pass judgement on your children or grandchildren from a 30 yards away and writes them off as expendable and deserving to get injured or worse because they are all of 13 years old and just gaining some independence and trying to figure out who they are in the world and how they fit in. I was probably one of those ill behaved 13yr olds too and now 20 yrs later I am a compassionate, mother of three, who has her own business and a master's degree but you know once they hit 13 there is no going back from a life of crime and uselessness. Just wanted to point out what a really awful thing to say and since we are judging from a distance, I hope you never come off a person that doesn't deserve any courtesies from anyone else either.

I don't think it comes down to where the snow ends up from the snow plow or because of any laws that may hold homeowners responsible for injury. It comes down to people putting the effort into doing it. The snow plows in Boulder Hill seldom ever plow right next to the sidewalks due to cars being parked all over the street. I see plenty of people who are more than capable of picking up a snow shovel or using a snow blower, but yet they choose not to. There is nothing wrong with making your kid pick up a shovel and do some physical exercise and work for those who can't shovel their own, or go ahead and do it yourself. I think some of it just comes down to taking pride in your residence and respect for your surrounding neighborhood and neighbors. And, btw - having young kids swear and misbehave as reasons why you do nothing to keep what is your safe is only an excuse, which so many people seem to have nowadays.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2084&ChapterID=58
CIVIL IMMUNITIES
(745 ILCS 75/) Snow and Ice Removal Act.
(745 ILCS 75/0.01) (from Ch. 70, par. 200)
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Snow and Ice Removal Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)

(745 ILCS 75/1) (from Ch. 70, par. 201)
Sec. 1. It is declared to be the public policy of this State that owners and others residing in residential units be encouraged to clean the sidewalks abutting their residences of snow and ice. The General Assembly, therefore, determines that it is undesirable for any person to be found liable for damages due to his or her efforts in the removal of snow or ice from such sidewalks, except for acts which amount to clear wrongdoing, as described in Section 2 of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 81-591.)
(745 ILCS 75/2) (from Ch. 70, par. 202)
Sec. 2. Any owner, lessor, occupant or other person in charge of any residential property, or any agent of or other person engaged by any such party, who removes or attempts to remove snow or ice from sidewalks abutting the property shall not be liable for any personal injuries allegedly caused by the snowy or icy condition of the sidewalk resulting from his or her acts or omissions unless the alleged misconduct was willful or wanton.
(Source: P.A. 81-591.)

What should happen is no clean surface no mail. The post office has more power in this case than a Village/Town or County. We should just have the Post Office stop service to those that don't shovel.

The sidewalks do indeed get very much covered by snow from the plows, and that's a fact. So it's nearly impossible to keep the sidewalks clean because the plow keeps pushing more snow on them.

The mail delivery person actually walks through yards and not on the sidewalk. Here's a better idea Greg- how about if you actually drive your own kid to school rather than telling other people what to do? If you choose not to do that then perhaps we can cut off your mail delivery and have snow plows drive by your house all day and push snow onto your sidewalks.

I live in Boulder Hill and DO shovel my sidewalks frequently when it snows. I choose to live here because I do not want to be told what to do or how to do it. For those of you that want to nitpick, why not move to a suburb that tells you how to live your lives and charges you astronomical fees by HOA if your fence is painted the wrong shade or two inches too short. Then you will have your perfect sidewalks.
I agree there are lazy people everywhere, but I would rather deal with snowy sidewalks than to be dictated by a board consisting of House moms about everything I do.

Also- Making the impulsive assumption that you know why the sidewalks are not being shoveled early on a weekday, while MOST people are at work is just that. An assumption. All of my neighbors shovel at some point. Maybe not as soon as I or you would like them to, but it gets done when they have time to do it. If you have a personal problem with one or two of your neighbors, maybe take it up with them personally and find out why it is not being done, rather than to suggest (as some have) that outside parties get involved and make it a punishment for people that have lives and jobs that might sometimes not permit them to have it done in your timeframe. Everyone has their own struggles, so assuming anything is just not right or helpful to anyone.

We just finished doing our sidewalks for the 2nd time today in our subdivision. We are among the few who choose to do it, but my husband walked to school as a child and has a thing for people who leave the sidewalks full of snow for kids to trudge through. I'm also remembering my childhood and how the neighborhood always had that one person who was just miserable about everything...some things never change.

If you are located on one of the major streets in Boulder Hill then it's possible for the snow plow to come by at least a dozen times each day. It's impossible to keep the sidewalks clear when the plow is constantly coming by again.

It's dangerous walking on the sidewalks in BH during bad weather because there are too many bad drivers who have a tendancy to slip onto the sidewalk. The best thing to do on these snow days is to drive your kids to school, unless of course you have something better to do like apparently far too many of you who'd rather place the obligation for your kids getting to school safely on your neighbors.

What's wrong are the parents who allow their kids to act that way and others who defend that sort of behavior.
We have 3 girls and they can't be outside when these little sailors come walking home from school. The words coming out their mouths would basically qualify a sexual assault and the kids are usually screaming out loud at each other.
The various boys and girls walking home usually have their hands all over each other and the four-letter words coming out their mouths are ones that I'd prefer to not have my kids listen to. There have been numerous fights too.
During the fall, these kids inevitably kick the piles of leaves all over the place- day after day. It's amazing the high percentage of kids who act this way. I finally figured out that its the kids whose parents can't even drive them home from school who are the ones who also don't care how their kids act. And anyone who has a girl as a child woud be crazy to let them walk among these other animals.

And yes, I certainly have no interest in shoveling sidewalks for kids who act this way and for whom have made it dangerous for my kids to even play in the front yard. The solution is for their parents to take action. But like so much of today's society, these irresponsible parents and other liberals expect others to solve their problems.

I think part of the problem is that people think Boulder Hood, I mean Hill, is some sort of great place to live. Sure there are nice areas, but for the most part, Half of the houses on my street are empty due to foreclosure or lost tenants. The houses that do have renters are filled with people who do not give a darn about the neighborhood. My husband goes out every time it snows, and shovels the sidewalk. The house next to us has four able-bodied adults that live there, and they do nothing.

We do our best to keep our sidewalks clear of snow. My sidewalk is ON the street. When the plows come by, the sidewalk is full of snow again. I cannot physically get out there and clear it every single time the plow goes by--I would be out there all day. We do what we can to keep it clear. When you live on a major street in Boulder Hill, that's what happens. We do what we can, we are NOT lazy and we care a great deal about our area and the people who use our sidewalks.

I run in Boulder Hill every day. I am more concerned about the people who drive WAY too fast down these streets (ie--Old Post, BH pass, Circle Drive East and West) and come dangerously close to me on several occasions. Perhaps if these people would slow down, we would have a safer situation for everyone--whether the sidewalks are clear or not.

I have older kids and yes I drove them to school (Private School). So I pay taxes and I pay for school (Private and College) and I shovel my walks and two others (older people) Mike. The issue is that the plows run all too fast and should not be moving snow into a sidewalk area period. The walks are public right of ways for people not cars, and if the mail carrier takes the short cut thru the yard it is because they can't get at the walks. The Law is on the books to aid those that shovel not the lazy people. I think for the most part people try and get the walks clean but when a home of 3 or more able people sit inside and do nothing well I can that LAZY. ON another note way to go FOX VALLEY PARK DISTRICT (NOT) the trails never get cleared but Oswego PD gets it done why not you!

Greg- you obviously don't live on one of the major streets in Boulder Hill. It's impossible to keep the sidewalks clean due to the frequency at which the snow plows drive past the houses. With the sidewalks next to the street, the plow pushes the all the snow from the street right onto the sidewalk. So even with a 2-3" snowfall, you'll see maybe a 1' of snow on the sidewalk. That's why you'll see very few cleared sidewalks on the major streets in the subdivision. Are you even familiar with BH? Almost all the sidewalks were built right next to the street with no parkway in between. There are no shoveling laws that cover the subdivision and that's a good idea considering the situation.

The side streets and cul-de-sacs might only get plowed one time after a snowfall and you'll see that many of those streets are clear. Do you think that's it's coincidental that all the lazy people live on the major streets or that you have no idea what you are talking about and that there's a reason for those people not shoveling?

I lived in BH for many years and even had a paper route for years (70's), so I understand the issue better then 99.9% of people. Back then people took pride in the home and frankly LAZY is the norm today even in towns where the street is setup properly with a barrier between. BH is not different because look at Aurora walks or Oswego walks they all are not taken care of properly. Taking pride can make a difference and maybe talking to the township about a solution would be better time spent then talking about why it is hard to have nice walk ways and taking an action forward. One other note got to love all the cars parked on the street so plowing is all so fun, maybe a ticket would be in order for those people!

Are you aware of the fact that it used to be legal to park a car with the wheels on the sidewalk? I never did that, but some of the streets are narrow and people did that all the time. They then outlawed that which forced the cars farther into the street.

A bigger issue in BH is the complete lack of enforcement of building codes by the county. There are so many cars because many properties have more than one family living in them. BH has been completely neglected by Kendall Cty government and that's contributed greatly to the overall 'look' of the subdivision.

We to shovel our side walks in BH, only to have the snow plow come by and throw it all from the street onto the side walks we just did! You expect us to go back out after the plow does that? I don't think so! I live on a corner lot and the plows have no problem making sure the corner of the sidewalk is nice and clear moving the snow into my yard. Why can't they figure out a way to not put the snow on the rest of the sidewalks??