On Monday, the city of Ithaca’s Department of Public Works will begin its annual spring cleaning of all city streets. Residents are encouraged to rake their tree lawns (the area between your sidewalk and your curb) when their street has been posted for street cleaning, placing only raked materials in the curb gutter BEFORE the street cleaners come through. Any material raked into the gutter after street cleaning is performed will be removed at the property owner’s expense.
The Department of Public Works will begin cleaning and flushing the streets in the Collegetown area on Monday. The work is scheduled in conjunction with Cornell University Spring Break as there are fewer vehicles parked on the streets, and fewer people are inconvenienced.
Anyone leaving town for spring break should not leave their vehicles parked on the street. All cars on the street designated to be cleaned will be ticketed by the Ithaca Police Department and towed from the street at the owner’s expense.
Streets scheduled to be cleaned will be posted with “NO PARKING” signs 24 hours in advance of when the street will need to be cleared of all vehicles to accommodate the street sweepers. Vehicles must be removed from these streets by 7 am on the date posted. The posted signs are intended for the entire block, so please do not think you are safe by parking in between them. All vehicles that remain on the street after the posted time will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. The base fee for a tow in the City of Ithaca is $200 and the daily storage fee after the first 24 hours is $50 per day.
The city will utilize Tompkins SIREN to notify residents who are subscribed to the “Street Cleaning” notification list of the streets to be cleaned each day. Enrolling in Tompkins SIREN can help to ensure that you avoid a costly parking ticket & tow.
People in need of long-term parking arrangements can call the City Chamberlain’s Office at (607) 274-6580 to inquire about the availability of long-term parking permits in the Seneca Street Parking Garage.
