SCRANTON -- When you pay taxes or maintenance fees to have snow removed, you want it done. But Scranton taxpayers are dealing with piles of snow that many feel should have been gone soon after the last snowstorm.
Downtown Scranton is home to some pretty big snow piles which are now a few days old. Frustrations are starting to pile up. The city of Scranton has plans to remove all this snow this weekend.
Business owners in the downtown say this week will be a challenge to say the least.
Courthouse Square is the hub of Scranton's business district but recently there's been a big, white barrier to business. As the snow downtown turns from white to black, shop owners frustrations are growing.
Patrons at Guy's Barber Shop have made a few missteps this week to keep from missing an appointment.
"It's not very easy, I mean, people are pulling in, they're getting stuck, I had to push a couple cars out. They're slipping, falling, you know, they could do a little better job cleaning up the side of the street," said Damian Biancarelli at Guy's Barber Shop.
The snow has sat in some pretty big piles since Monday. Scranton city officials say they plan to clean it all up overnight Friday into Saturday. So, some business owners say they're chalking this week up as a loss.
"We have Valentine's Day coming up and we have a lot of shoppers coming in for that. I think it should have been taken care of faster than it has been. I'm a big fan of the alternative side parking. I wish they would start doing it, all major cities do it. It works beautifully in New York City, it should be able to work in Scranton as well," said Danielle Fleming.
Fleming, who owns Note Fragrances on Wyoming Avenue, wasn't the only one to throw out ideas for how Scranton could clear out downtown more quickly. They say the longer it lingers, the snow could keep customers out.
"We are always dealing with parking anyways, so if it's a hassle just to park now we have to park with snow. Yeah, it could be a deterrent for sure for people to come down and shop."
