The Chatham-Kent Public Works department is looking to clear up some miscommunication that may have caused some confusion about overhanging basketball nets on residential streets.
Sixty-five letters were recently sent to residents stating that they had one week to remove or reposition objects -- such as basketball nets, hockey nets, or skateboard ramps -- that encroached upon municipal property.
The fact that only 65 letters were sent and the letters contained a deadline for when the objects needed to be moved came as a "shock" to long-time Chatham resident Carol Reeb. She has kept her basketball net up in the same spot for approximately 14 years and said she was left wondering "why now?"
"If I have to [move it], I have to... I understand that. It's just not a nice way to find out and there's no [discussion] about it," said Reeb.
On Friday, the municipality issued a media release stating that the order to move any encroachments is not being enforced under a municipal bylaw, however, the orders were issued to ensure Chatham-Kent is compliant with provincial standards.
"There were some upgrades to encroachments [under the Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards Act] in 2018, which put more onus on the municipality regarding specifically, encroachments on roadways and sidewalks so I think we've taken a little more serious stance with it," said Ryan Brown, director of Public Works.
Brown said crews within the department had noticed some objects that would interfere with snowplowing so the letters were sent out promptly. He also mentioned that there have been instances in the past where snowplows have hit nets and it's something they want to avoid this year.
The hope is that residents will voluntarily go out and determine whether or not they have something that overhangs on a road, sidewalk, or blocks access to an underground utility and reposition/ remove it. However, residents who received a letter are under a stricter timeframe.
"These are just ones that we've noticed lately over the summer," said Brown. "With the recent snow, it was kind of timely that we're having to plow around some of these basketball nets and hockey nets that were on the road."
Brown said he wants to assure residents that the municipality is not discouraging children from partaking in physical activity that includes road nets. However, city officials do ask that those nets be removed when they're not in use. As stated in the media release, unattended nets and frames should be pushed back at least 60 centimetres behind the property line or 19 feet back from the edge of the road for areas with granular or grass ditches.
Items that encroach on municipal property that sustain damage during construction, snow removal, or street cleaning are not under the municipality's responsibility.