Why not ask about the sidewalks too? there are plenty of spots in the city that are still icy enough to be dangerous.

Demetrius Mallisham, Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods, personally called to discuss the health of Medfield's roads. He was then provided with the Service Request (SR) numbers of the residents that called 311. He forwarded Medfield's requests to the appropriate agency. Within 12-24 hours Medfield's streets along with the community of Heathbrook and Hoe's Heights we're being salted/ployed and the following tickets were closed.

Hat's off to the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods!

Richard Kaminski
Land Use & Zoning Chairman
Medfield Community Association
www.MedfieldMD.com
richard@MedfieldMD.com

BLOCK - STREET - 311 CONFIRMATION#
*************************************
4100 blk Hickory Ave. - 69616
4200 blk Hickory Ave. - 66017
1100 blk Weldon Ave. - 69616
1100 blk W. 42nd St. - 66017
1100 blk W. 43rd St. - 66017
1100 blk Falls Hill Ave. - 66017
4100-4200 blk Edgehill Ave. - 68710
1200-1400 blk Weldon Ave. - 68710
1200-1400 blk. W. 42nd St. - 65440
4100 blk Buena Vista Ave. - 65440
1400 blk Redfern Ave. - 68710
4400 blk Buchanan Ave. - 61386
4200 blk Newport Ave. - 63109
1400 blk Roland Heights Ave. - 61653
1400 blk Medfield Ave. - 61653
1100 blk Roland Heights Ave. - 67291
1100 blk woodheights Ave. - 67291
4000-4200 blk Evans Chapel Rd. - 69716
1400 blk W. 40th st. - 69720

To comment on the state of the roads, I can tell you a bit about my bike commute this morning. I live in Locust Point and work in Park Heights, so I normally bike from my home to Charles Center Metro Station, take the metro up ot the Rogers Ave stop, and then bike to where I work, which is one block north of the intersection of Park Heights and Northern Parkway. I missed riding most of last week, and figured that today would be a good time to get in a ride before the next storm. I figured all the streets would at least be passable since the storm ended 4 days ago. How wrong I was!

My ride through Locust Point, Fed Hill and downtown was smooth sailing. Once I got off the Metro, heading East on Rogers Ave was also well cleared. However, as I turned left onto Gist, a one way side street, I was greeted with a road that looked like it had not been plowed at all. At least there were grooved tire tracks that reached the pavement for one block where I was able to ride, but once I crossed Northern Parkway, the entire road was covered in packed snow and ice. I then turned right on to Manhattan for a few blocks and had to get off and walk with my bike because the roads had not yet seen a plow. I was aggravated, but grateful at least, for the state of streets in my neighborhood. My heart goes out to the residents of northwest Baltimore who seem to have been forgotten by the plows this year!

I drove this morning from the Mt. Washington area to Randallstown to take my son to preschool, and Old Court Rd. was a mess. The intersection with Park Heights/Stevenson was particularly messy; there was only one lane clear instead of three, and it took us eight minutes to get through the intersection when it's never taken any longer than two before today.

They haven't touched the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Cedarcroft Road in Northeast. It's treacherous as usual. they never plow my street.

I live in the NE corner of the city, north of Northern Parkway and west of Harford road on Berwick. No street in my neighborhood has been plowed.

In fact I am suprised by the comment above; it never occured to me to call 311 about plowing my street, because in the 5+ years we have lived here, a plow has *never* come down it after a storm. Not even during last year's messes.

What is worse than my own street being a mess, however, is the state of the streets surrounding my children's school. Just blocks away across HArford Road, not a single street has been plowed except for the main one out in front, Moyer Ave. And guess what? The plows left a four foot pile of ice and snow along the entire length of the block so that parents have absolutely no way to pull close to the curb to drop off and pick up, but must instead park half in the traffic lane and let their kids out to pick their way across the mountain of snow and ice. This morning I saw children going down on the pavement all over the place. It was a nightmare.

Down in Anne Arundel Co., road was never plowed. Only the tire ruts are down to bare pavement. A plow drove by tonight but just put down salt.

This winter had proven to be more interesting than last. This is what's going on in my north Baltimore neighborhood:

- No plows. We never get them. The City says our street is too narrow. They could send us one of those pick-up truck contractors OR pre-arrange a plowing time and we could all move our cars. But that's too much effort in this town. After chipping at ice all weekend we now have two tire lanes carved among 4-5 inch thick ice down most of our street, though steering is impossible and your car can only go where the ruts take it. Despite paying a plow for some of our alleys, we have not had any trash or recycling pickup. I'm starting to really resent this no-plow situation. I don't pay fewer taxes than everyone else because I'm not getting these services. Why can't the City solve this simple problem and provide basic services? Snow is not exactly a new problem for cities.

- Bad salt. The destructive mixtures the City provides for us to treat our own streets tears up pavement, and in the case of our alleyways, it's the same pavement that individual households were billed for after the City repaved them. And, where the salt could prove useful, such as a steep curve, the residents near that salt box never spread it! Apparently they think the rest of the street is passable due to magic; no, it's due to other residents shoveling and salting. Why can't people pitch in?

- Sidewalks are horrendous even in neighborhoods where residents can afford to pay to have them cleared or community associations are active and could arrange the same. For some reason, the City has yet to include sidewalk complaints on the list of available 311 services online.

- We have oodles of women and elderly people in my neighborhood who have pitched in, but there are at least four able-bodied middle-aged men who have yet to lift a shovel, not even to clear spots for their own cars. Instead, the lazy butts drive around preying on any empty spots that they can just pull in to. And people wonder why We The Shovelers use lawn chairs to protect our work!

- The buses have become total wimps. The MTA owes some real explanations as to why it implements so many diversions in passable weather. Delays we can accept, at least we can get to work, but diversions prevent us from getting there at all. Five years ago, I could count on the bus to get me to work in snowy weather. Not now.

My street in North Baltimore also has not been touched. The ice ruts are a big problem on this street, as well. The street is wide enough for two lanes of traffic plus parking, but it is only a long city block. Thus not "important", apparently, to get on the plowing radar. The two streets linked by my street each have been plowed. But in the 15 years I have lived on this street, we have not had snow removal service through multiple mayoral administrations!

As an ex-insider here is something you should know. After the City plows the arterials, they target the areas with the most 311 calls so call in your streets; the 311 system is not a black hole for complaints so call in. Have your neigbors call too.

The same goes with saltboxes, they are placed in locations throughout the City based on the highest number of 311 calls/online complaints.