With several heavy snowfalls followed by a sprinkling of rain, Jasper’s streets and sidewalks ain’t what they used to be.

The town’s transportation routes have been transformed into a mix of snow, ice and slush, but bare pavement is making its return bit by bit as municipal crews and hired contractors take care of the streets, while residents and business owners handle the sidewalks.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Municipal officials are reminding Jasper residents that it’s the responsibility of leaseholders to keep the sidewalks in front of their homes or businesses clear of ice and snow.

“Within 24 hours of any accumulation at all we expect people to be out there and clear it off,” said Ken Quackenbush, director of environmental services with the Town of Jasper.

Bylaw officers inspect sidewalks on a regular basis, he added, and their response to an unclear section will vary depending on history and condition. They may just issue a notification and ask a leaseholder to clear up the problem or, in more extreme circumstances, issue a fine along with a bill, should municipal workers have to come in to remove the ice and snow.

Quackenbush also asked residents to ensure that any extension cords strung out to the street to plug in vehicles don’t create a tripping hazard on the sidewalk. One suggestion, he said, is to put a floor mat over the cord so it doesn’t catch on anyone’s boots.

The town does employ three grounds crew who take care of sidewalks and sanding, too, but the bulk of municipal snow-clearing efforts are focused on Jasper’s streets.

With three dump trucks, a loader, backhoe and grader, the municipality attacks roads in an established order of priority.

First to be cleared are emergency routes including Connaught Drive, Geikie Street and Bonhomme Street along with the sections of Miette Avenue, Turret Street, Elm Avenue and Robson Street that surround the hospital.

Next to be cleared are commercial routes, which include Patricia Street between Hazel Avenue and Pyramid Lake Road and any connecting routes to Geikie Street and Connaught Drive along the way. The sections of Geikie Street and Juniper Avenue adjacent to Patricia Circle are also considered commercial routes.

The third priority is defined as “major traffic routes,” including sections of Patricia Street, Miette Avenue, Elm Avenue, Pyramid Lake Road and Bonhomme Street that haven’t already been cleared. Cabin Creek Drive is also in this category, and Quackenbush said there are some unique challenges in that neighbourhood.

“The real problem down there is, even though it’s a priority-three area, with a big snowfall event (like the one last week) it gets impassible pretty quickly,” he said. “The reason it’s impassible is because people are taking the snow from their driveways and pushing it out into the road.”

Quackenbush said municipal crews understand that space is an issue but ask that any snow that can’t be moved to an area on your own leasehold be dumped into a neat pile in the parking lane, where they will pick it up. Residents are urged not to move snow into the centre of the street. Temporary signs will be put up 24 hours before crews come through a particular neighbourhood.

After those first three priorities are taken care of, the remaining streets in town are tackled. A full clean-up cycle after a major snowfall can take as much as three weeks, Quackenbush said.

Jasper budgets about $250,000 a year for snow removal.