Lookout Local’s Post

Keep Your Sidewalk Clear, Keep Your City Moving - It's Everyone's Responsibility! After a recent snowstorm blanketed Vancouver, the city buzzed with 120 complaints within 24 hours about uncleared sidewalks. This rapid response highlights the importance of the municipal bylaw, which mandates sidewalk clearing by 10 a.m. post-snowfall. Non-compliance can be costly, ranging from $250 to $750 fines, plus additional charges if the city arranges the snow removal. The latest storm, bringing about 30 centimeters of snow, demanded multiple clearing efforts. City bylaw officers are actively documenting violations, with potential fines looming. Despite 161 complaints since winter's start, fines from the recent storm are pending, as the city meticulously gathers evidence for potential charges. As the snow continues, city crews are tirelessly clearing key routes. This proactive approach emphasizes community responsibility and the importance of keeping sidewalks safe and passable. Read more via link below. https://bit.ly/3S78WDF Stay safe out there! #winterready #bcrealestate #snowremoval #realtor

WHAT DO WE DO ON THE COAST? This scenario is playing out up and down our coastlines. Home and business owners demand help to preserve things as they are. Towns turn to states. States beg the federal government. The nature of local politics gets in the way of acknowledging reality. How do you tell someone "You're going to lose everything?" Sure, there will be some local successes where conditions are just right. But neither governments, nor insurance companies nor taxpayers have the resources to save everything. Neither can they pay people for what they've lost. And that creates gridlock. Many small coastal communities will not last another generation. We need to find a way to say goodbye to beloved towns like Myrtle Beach and Key West. Even some cities are likely beyond saving. Our grandchildren are unlikely to visit Miami or New Orleans. But trying to have that conversation in those places drives people mad. It is beyond our experience, beyond our comprehension, beyond our ability to accept. Plenty of coastal towns rise from the shoreline to considerable heights. Seattle and San Francisco will suffer losses, but they should be all right. I wouldn't bet on Baltimore or Mobile. A very few will erect heroic measures at enormous cost to save places like Manhattan. But only very few. The nature of our political processes means that everyone fights for their own best interests, which in normal times results in workable compromises. Now it just delays the inevitable and raises the cost of damages. How do we say goodbye? https://lnkd.in/gYPApGiQ

What is happening here in Stonington, ME, population 1,000, is happening around the country: we are a tiny rural community battling forces of climate and real estate markets much larger than our capacities. It would be easy to feel resentful and left behind, as it appears nearly 50% of the U.S. voting public feels. We'd rather be a model for how small communities can productively face these challenges and sustain our workers, our traditions, our identities. We're grateful that, last weekend, NYTimes' New England Bureau Chief Jenna Russell published a well-researched, thorough article that ties these issues together in Stonington -- Maine's #1 Lobster Port, responsible for providing 11% of Maine's lobster catch from 350 individually owned and operated fishing boats. We're also grateful for the support both the Biden Administration and our Congressional Delegation has been able to send our way via the Inflation Reduction Act, congressionally directed spending, and more. I can't say enough how these federal investments in our small communities is making a positive difference. This visibility helps. If you are not yet aware of the math that makes property taxes a much-less-than-perfect measure of support for Maine's coastal towns facing these extraordinary issues: talk to me. I'd love to be in further conversation with you regarding realities, concepts, and ideas for how we can work together to attain the changes rural America desperately needs. https://lnkd.in/e7mdYaZd

With the rainy season approaching in Northern California, roofs will be tested. Make sure yours are structurally sound. Watch for more advice >> https://lnkd.in/evTA4_-X #californiainsuranceagent #LandlordInsurance #landlordadvice #landlord #CaliforniaLandlords #ApartmentOwnerInsurance

With the rainy season approaching in Northern California, roofs will be tested. Make sure yours are structurally sound. Watch for more advice >> https://lnkd.in/emVHt3gK #californiainsuranceagent #LandlordInsurance #landlordadvice #landlord #CaliforniaLandlords #ApartmentOwnerInsurance

Here’s the key aspect of this coastal development: “Governments are typically on the hook for maintaining roads, re-nourishing beaches and keeping utilities up and running. “That comes from the coffers of taxpayers,” he said. “That’s other people’s money.” That means taxpayers in states like Vermont, Arkansas, West Virginia. Nebraska, Colorado, and all the other states with no coastlines are paying not only for capital costs on these beach projects, but long-term operation and maintenance costs as well, for 50 years or more. This, even as they are facing their own rising adaptation costs incurred as climate is changing, causing new and different damages not associated with new development in known risk areas.

Climate change and other factors create conditions making it unwise to build and/or move to certain locales. Still many people continue to buy properties in flood zones, coastal areas, properties susceptible to mudslides and avalanches, etc. A segment of the Outer Banks of North Carolina has been one local demonstrating such susceptibility to nature's fury in recent years. The National Park Service cited "the daily effects of winds, waves and tides, along with rising seas and storms" in contributing to coastal erosion impacts, "particularly adjacent to the villages of Rodanthe and Buxton, North Carolina." Rodanthe has suffered the collapse of four houses this year alone and a total of nine since 2020. Sometimes it takes regulation and uninsurability to keep people from putting themselves or their property in danger. It should also be noted that others who have made wiser decisions also must pay for some of the mistakes of those showing less sagacity. #naturaldisasters #landdevelopment #propertyinsurance #coastalflooding #floodzones #overdevelopment #regulationofdevelopment https://lnkd.in/eA8rKmgA

Check with your county, city, or town for their procedures on #Christmastree removal. Some areas include tree removal as part of their regular year-round collection service. Dried-out Christmas trees can cause fires. Remember to always water your tree daily and throw it away once it is dry. Real trees can dry up and turn into kindling: https://lnkd.in/ef_3CN_4

Here is the second in what will be an award-winning series by Advocate reporter, Mike Smith about the effects to our communities coastal erosion is having: https://lnkd.in/gv-ER4X5

Since we're on the subject of Snow... We understand that managing snow and ice on your property can be challenging, and it might seem easier to push it onto nearby County roads, ditches, or rights-of-way. However, this practice can lead to a variety of issues, including: ❄️ Creating uneven and impassable roads, increasing traffic and safety hazards. ❄️ Slowing down the County’s snow removal efforts, making it harder for everyone to get around. ❄️ Heightening the risk of equipment damage, especially during ditch backblading. ❄️ Potentially causing damage to roads and maintenance equipment. ❄️ Blocking or harming culverts, which can increase flooding risks during spring thaw cycles. ❄️ Inconveniencing other property owners, residents, and motorists. ❄️ Risking damage to utility lines, bridges, road access points, and vegetation. We truly appreciate your cooperation in keeping snow and ice on your own property, we know it's not an easy job sometimes. It's a collective effort to maintain safe and accessible roads for our community. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us avoid these issues! 👏 #instasnow #BeaverCounty #APlaceToCallHome