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Evanston To Ticket Property Owners Who Haven't Shoveled Starting Thursday

(CBS) -- Evanston is getting tough with property owners who still haven't shoveled the snow from Sunday's blizzard, reports WBBM's Regine Schlesinger.

For now, the city is issuing warnings at homes and businesses where the sidewalks haven't been cleared. But, Assistant health director Carl Caneva says in another day, it will issue tickets and fines for up to $75 a day.

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What about elderly property owners or those whose health might be at risk, if they shovel?

"We still give people the availability to work with us. So, if they call 311 and they have some concerns about that, we can try and get them volunteers," Caneva said. "We can try and do a number of different things to help them out."

As a last resort, the city will send contractors out to shovel the snow on private property where it hasn't been done and then send the bill to the owner.

CBS 2's Mike Parker reports every day, Victoria Adams walks the sidewalk on the west side of Green Bay Road south of Simpson. But it is treacherous, with frozen slush a foot deep and no sidewalk visible.

"I have complained about it twice already and nothing has been done about it," she said.

The sidewalk is along a public storage facility. Employees blamed it on the snow contractor that shoveled the rest of the property Wednesday morning.

"They were here this morning and they didn't do it so we called the manager and told them and they said they would be here tonight," said employee Shaima Aziz.

Some Evanstonians point out that the city hasn't done a great job of clearing all of its own properties. Caneva says they're collecting those complaints and addressing them.

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