EAST LANSING, Mich — For most of us, it's not a fun job.
But the City of East Lansing requires sidewalks to be cleared soon after a winter storm.
A cold Thursday morning, neighbors dig out from the winter storm.
Neighbors like Heather Oberst and Jerilyn Dunn have shoveled East Lansing sidewalks for years. They've seen it all.
"It could be worse. It could be freezing rain and we're out here… but it's not that cold today, so, it's not that bad," says Oberst.
Other neighbors like Noah Hurley got a head start on the job.
"Last night during the storm, I came out here a little bit into it and shoveled off a couple of inches, so, you know, you pick at it and then you get a couple more inches down a couple hours later, it makes it all easier today, come morning," says Hurley.
City leaders encourage enthusiasm since there are some rules that need to be followed.
It's called the Snow Removal Ordinance, and it gives a time frame for property owners to shovel their sidewalks.
"The general rule is, if it snows before noon, any snow and ice should be removed from your sidewalks before midnight. if it snows afternoon, you have until midnight the following day," says Lieutenant Adrian Ojerio with East Lansing Police.
If neighbors don't shovel their sidewalks on time, they could face a fine of up to 110 dollars. But Ojerio says at the end of the day, he just wants a safe neighborhood.
"We have a lot of people that use alternate methods of transportation. Walking, bicycling, and all other forms of transportation, so that's why it's really important to make sure those sidewalks are cleared in a timely manner," says Ojerio.
And that's what's important to neighbors, too.
"I don't want anybody to fall, and I wanna make sure I can walk up to my front door, and everything's safe," says Hurley.
"The sidewalks need to be safe," says Oberst.
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