Snowed in
Is your neighborhood one of the first to be plowed after snowstorms, or do you feel like you're in the last place on the to-do list?
When we got all that snow dumped on us in December, my way to work was reasonably clear. But some in the same community -- just different homeowners' associations -- complained bitterly several days after the storm that they hadn't seen a plow at all.
So I'm curious to hear about your recent experiences. Good, bad, indifferent? Are you feeling the ripple effects of tight budgets? Does it seem to matter if it's the local government or a homeowner-association contractor doing the work?
Good removal or not, some neighborhoods are just snow neighborhoods. Great hill for sledding, a bit of open space for snowmen and everyone pitching in on the shoveling -- or the snowball fighting -- like one big extended family.
I grew up in that sort of neighborhood. Even as I grouch about the aggravation of uninvited weather as a places-to-go adult, I remember those childhood snow days fondly.
On a related note, my cat Tommy has decided that snow is awesome:
Categories: Neighborhood and neighbors, Weather
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Comments
I thought that our neighborhood would be a good snow neighborhood... Last night with about a foot of snow already on the ground, we started playing in the snow and a few of our neighbors joined in the fun. Another neighbor however, took issue with the fact that we were having a snowball fight on the sidewalk at 10 pm on a Friday, and... called the police. The police drove past and obviously didn't mind, but mentioned that someone had called them. So in the midst of snow emergency calls and responses, one of those at least, was a call for a snowball fight.
Posted by: Ian | February 6, 2010 11:52 AM
Phooey! Sorry to hear that. I seem to recall that the police showed up at a D.C. snowball fight in December.
Posted by: Jamie Smith Hopkins | February 6, 2010 6:58 PM
Snow plow? It's more like no plow. The city ignores most side streets once the main roads are clear. In December, Parkwood and Valley View Aves in Gardenville (NE Baltimore) were not plowed at all and these are both hills. A plow came by on Tuesday, but that is only the secord or third I've seen on the streets in the past 5 years. In 2003, the neighbors did the plowing one shovel load at a time.
Posted by: Brian | February 7, 2010 9:15 AM
Baltimore is no different than other areas. I moved to MD from Allentown PA and there after a significant snow storm it would take 3 days before the city plows would appear. Additionaly when I first moved there and complained, they stated that the budget for snow removal only allocated enough time to clear our road should the snow fall exceed 8 inches, otherwise they were not scheduled to clear the road. So before anyone complains about snow removal, call the county office and ask what the schedule for snow removal is and how much snow is required before they clear your road. Being wise this time when I bought my home in Eldersburg, the one additional thing I reviewed about the area was snow removal. Who would have thought that buying a house checklist should involve City Snow Removal policy review.
Posted by: ZitoMD | February 7, 2010 10:00 AM