The Observation Deck

Good Friends in Lakewood Land...

Let's face it, the topic of shoveling snow (and the lack thereof!) seems to come up every year around this time.

Some suburban municipalities actually clear their residential walkways for their residents, but Lakewood (generally) does not.

Some residents and businesses routinely clear their walks every year, while others regularly ignore the job. Indeed, quite a few residents might not be able to do so, for a variety of valid medical reasons.

I've even read that some people believe that NOT shoveling is preferential to shoveling as far as potential act-of-nature liabilities go? Perhaps some of our lawyer readers could chime in about that question?

That said, many, if not most communities (including ours) do have sidewalk snow removal ordinances.

The other morning, one of my neighbors was going up the street with a simple shovel, making a one-shovel-wide path for the students to follow up the street. Taking not much more time to do than simply walking up the street, this was a wonderful selfless gesture for youngsters who would shortly be off to school.

Perhaps Lakewood might consider adopting a "one shovel wide" pathway program in our schools, or in our wider community? Perhaps volunteer students could help make pathways to their schools? Perhaps our block programs could encourage healthy adult volunteers to engage in that activity?

Not being an attorney, I have no ideal of the potential legal ramifications of any of this, (Could anyone face trouble, for example, by shoveling someone's walk without their permission?) but to me, that one-shovel-wide act was a beautiful gesture.

While completely cleared walks would be wonderful, this might at least be a helpful beginning...

Just one-shovel-wide...

Awesome.

What say you?

Back to the banjo...

Gary,

A little over a year ago, I was in in Ann Arbor, MI. I met a merchant/musician/activist named Paul Tinkerhess (He ALSO had some connection to Pete Seeger.). He helped organize his residential neighborhood in Ann Arbor to create SnowBuddy. SnowBuddy is a non-profit group that bought a little snow removal tractor to maintain the twelve miles of sidewalks in his neighborhood. Trained volunteers run the tractor to keep the sidewalks free of snow for pedestrians and any wheeled vehicles used by people with disabilities.

Here is the link to the SnowBuddy Facebook page. If you go to the beginning and work forward in time, you can see how this all developed and is now managed. Not a bad idea.

https://www.facebook.com/snowbuddy.org


Steve

Gary Rice wrote:Back to the banjo...

Mark Twain wrote:A gentleman is a man who knows how to play banjo but don't.

.

Gary: great idea and I like the name "One Shovel Wide." This is a basic, communal, and decent nod to our neighbors that everyone who is physically able (residents and businesses alike) ought to do each time it snows. Leveraging the block clubs seems like a great start and we have been encouraging merchants and property owners to shovel in front of their stores. Not sure why personal responsibility for the benefit of a community (and in the case of businesses to bring in customers who spend money) is ignored by some.

I also like the idea Steve offered from Ann Arbor.

Stay warm.

-Ian

I like the idea of Ian shoveling my walkway!

Corey

Steve, Ian:

Thanks for your kind thoughts. I was very inspired with that lady's spunk. When I think about it, the phrase "One shovel wide" is sort of catchy, so here's a poem/song I quickly put together about this experience.

Maybe we could all think about helping our Lakewood kids, starting with just one little shovel wide?

Back to the banjo...

One Shovel Wide

On a silent snowy morning, 'neath the January moon,
She was walking by my window, passing by.
With her shovel in the pathway, clearing diamonds in the snow.
One shovel wide, she pushed those snowflakes high...*

Our Lakewood street was long, nearly one third of a mile,**
The night, it was so bitter and so gray,
Yet in that time of darkness, shone a bright light with that deed,
One shovel wide, to give the children way.

No frozen feet and ankles did our students have that day.
No slipping, sliding, falling on that walk.
'Cause a thoughtful Lakewood neighbor gave an hour of her time.
One shovel wide told more than we could talk.

*Technically , by the time I saw her, she was all done and appeared to be heading home, shovel over her shoulder, but using poetic license, the verse seemed to flow so much better this way.

**Not sure how long our street really is, or whether all of it was done that day or not. The part that I could see was. Again, a bit of poetic license is applied to this noble gesture.

This is a timely thread. Our "good neighbors" on Grace Ave., Drug Mart, have failed to shovel the Grace side of their property for the last two days. Maybe Mike or Dru could come over and clear a path for the students at Garfield who walk up and down our street.

Sounds like a very valid concern to me. Why not start by giving the business(es) and particularly the manager(s) involved a friendly reminder call pointing the situation (and the children who use that walkway) out to them?

I've generally found that positive stuff generally works pretty well in life. That's why I play the banjo.

Fact is everybody, maybe whenever we see a snow situation that needs addressing, why not try making that one friendly call first? After all, it all starts with just one concern and one call. Before you know it, you'll hopefully see at least one shovel wide.

('Course, maybe it's easier for me to say all this, since banjos can make such great shovels!)


Back to the banjo...

Why not build on the already familiar CLEAR 4 KIDS initiative sponsored by the city, The Lakewood Family Collaborative and PTA with these new/good ideas?

http://blog.onelakewood.com/2012/01/cle ... paign.html

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2011/1 ... -awareness

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2011/0 ... r-for-kids

I noticed that Franklin sidewalks were cleared yesterday...not by residents. Perhaps the city and/or schools were behind the effort?

Believe me Meg...

We could call it "Spoonfuls of Snow" for all I care, so long as it gets off the walkways!

Not just for the kids either. I've had several close-call falls in the last few years m'self.

Back to the banjo...

I certainly didn't mean to take away from your idea or effort, just wanted to remind everyone about CLEAR 4 KIDS.

Stay safe...and warm!

Day Three of Drug Mart failing to shovel the Grace sidewalk - Gary we took your advice and called Discount Drug Mart and in a very nice way asked the store manager if they would shovel the sidewalk on Grace. To make a somewhat long conversation short, he repeatedly gave a non-answer. Drug Mart made many promises while seeking permission for their development. Most notably - "Trucks will never use the Grace entrance" (6 times under oath) and "Drug Mart will be a good neighbor in Lakewood". The first promise we now know was garbage. The second promise has the same stench. Drug Mart could never have walked away from either without considerable assistance from Mr. Summers and Mr. Siley. As Ian Andrews from Lakewood Alive said: "This is a basic, communal, and decent nod to our neighbors that everyone who is physically able (residents and businesses alike) ought to do each time it snows."

Respectfully,

If you were in any way dissatisfied with the results of your call, perhaps you might consider making further calls?

(Perhaps indeed, you have already made them.)

Let's re-focus.

Sidewalks and safety are the current issues before us.

Yesterday's battles, while not to be marginalized, are still yesterday's battles.

Today's battles are challenging enough, particularly where public safety is an issue.

Back to the banjo...

I don't think I am comfortable doing a whole street one shovel wide because I have kids in the house while I am out shoveling and want to be in shouting distance (but it a completely neat idea), but for the entire time we have lived in Lakewood (11 years), our family has always shoveled the sidewalks to either side of our house. Sometimes my neighbors shoveled my sidewalk before I could get out to shovel. It's just what neighbors do. Not everyone can get out and shovel for age or health reasons, and that is all the more reason to help your neighbors.

For those who "don't have time", maybe they could at least do "one shovel wide" so the school kids can walk on cleared strips of sidewalk.

To report snow removal issues in your area, please utilize the "Report-a-Problem" link on our website - http://www.onelakewood.com/ReportProblem/ or call (216) 529-7697.

The lady who runs this is awesome. All it takes is a phone call or email and she will stop by, assess the situation, send out a letter reminding them of their responsibility and amazingly the business or home owner start to understand that it is their responsibility to keep a clear path.

Snow removal has been a huge concern of mine for years and I really never understood why in a walking community it wasn't addressed. The city has really stepped up its game in the past few years and will enforce ordinances. Of course, the best way to get people to clear the walks is if we set an example ourselves and help out those who can't or won't do it themselves.

Toni

BECAUSE Lakewood is a walkable community, BECAUSE Lakewood has a significant tax rate, BECAUSE Lakewood municipal services are generally very good, I could NEVER figure out why our city has not put into place municipal residential walkway plowing programs with sidewalk plows, or, if budgets would be the problem, to AT LEAST bring the question before the public?

Rocky River has used municipal residential sidewalk plows for years. Perhaps we have more areas to plow than they do, but I would think that anything would be better than the uneven snow removal situation that we have been dealing with all these years....

While municipal sidewalk plows in Rocky River quickly and efficiently dispose of their residential sidewalk snow problems, year after year in Lakewood, we find ourselves being grateful for just one shovel wide.

Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture, or am I just slipping on the ice?

Throwing a bit of rhyme into the mix...being a great city comes with a price.

Back to the banjo...