Property lines create confusion over street cleaning responsibilities

Snow may be pretty, but for residents of South Oakland, it can also pose a serious threat.

With the recent arctic blast blanketing Oakland with snowfall, proper removal of the fluffy stuff is a pressing concern for those who must navigate the roads and sidewalks of Oakland. By law, the resident or business owner of a property next to a sidewalk is responsible for removing the snow on that portion of the sidewalk. 

But as Pitt becomes a bigger part of the Oakland community, it becomes difficult to tell who’s responsible for removing snow from what parts of the neighborhood. 

According to Carlino Giampolo, a lifelong resident of South Oakland who now divides his time between Pittsburgh and Honolulu, HI, Pitt isn’t doing enough to help out the community when it comes to snow removal on Joncaire Street.

“The University [removes the snow] up to the third telephone pole,” Giampolo said. “They stop there. They refuse to take responsibility beyond their property line on this street.”

Giampolo, 67, pointed out that two parking lots are located at the end of Joncaire Street, one of which is owned by Pitt. According to Giampolo, the sidewalk on Joncaire Street gets heavy student foot traffic, which should be reason enough for Pitt to extend its snow-removal effort to the end of Joncaire Street where it intersects with Boundary Street, an area that technically belongs to the city. 

Cara Masset, director of University news, said University policy mandates snow removal only on sidewalks adjacent to property owned by Pitt. 

“Pitt does an excellent job of removing snow on its properties,” Masset said. “We clean the sidewalks on Joncaire until we reach the point where Pitt no longer owns the property.”

Paul Supowitz, Pitt’s vice chancellor for community and governmental relations, said the conflict over plowing Joncaire Street has been an issue for many years. Supowitz said that although the University wants to be helpful, it is the city’s responsibility to clean its property. 

Supowitz said the area around the intersection of Joncaire and Boundary streets is “a little off the beaten track for the city,” but that the city must take care of it. 

“The city needs to put this area on its back,” Supowitz said. 

He also pointed to areas near Phipps Conservatory and Schenley Park, city property near Pitt’s campus where the city clears the sidewalks.

Kevin Kerr, Councilman Bruce Kraus’ community relations manager, said the councilman wants students to take action with problems in the city and encourages students to dial the 311 Response Center or contact the councilman’s office directly to fix problems. 

“[Joncaire and Boundary] streets are city streets,” Kerr said. “If those aren’t being plowed, then it’s the city’s responsibility.”

Matt Milana, a Pitt undergraduate and two-year resident of Joncaire Street, said he’s never really noticed a problem with snow.  

“The sidewalks aren’t always plowed,” said Milana. “But I can’t say that we’ve ever really had problems.”

According to Milana, the greatest problem on Joncaire Street has been traversing the roads immediately after a dusting of snow.

Student volunteer efforts contribute to taking care of the parts of Oakland that are beyond the University’s property lines. 

Rebekkah Ranallo, communications manager at Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, is a member of a volunteer program called Keep It Clean, Oakland! to give back to the Oakland community. 

Ranallo said students from Pitt’s Greek Life, service organizations and students who have to complete community service play a large role in Keep It Clean, Oakland!, which works to clean up the neighborhood by removing snow, picking up litter and helping those in need. 

“There are some property owners who are either disabled or elderly,” Ranallo said. “We try to help out as needed.” 

Among the group’s projects is the “Adopt-a-Block program,” through which volunteer groups adopt and take care of an abandoned lot for a year, Ranallo said. 

According to Giampolo, this isn’t enough. He started his own community organization, South Oakland Urban Litter, and he hopes to convince Pitt to donate $4 from each undergraduate student’s tuition to hire full-time litter-removal workers. Giampolo sees a relationship between Oakland’s litter problem and its snow removal problem. 

Giampolo said in an email that city workers plowed the area on Joncaire Street on Wednesday, Jan. 29, and Monday, Feb. 3. 

“Things change for two reasons,” said Giampolo, “tragedy and human dignity. Let’s not wait for a tragic event to occur before a permanent solution is made on this issue.” 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that Rebekkah Ranallo runs “Keep it Clean, Oakland!” and that a program run by Oakland Planning is called “Adopt-A-Lot.” Both of these statements were incorrect. Joshua Litvik runs “Keep it Clean, Oakland!” and Oakland Planning’s program is called “Adopt-A-Block.”