Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Icy parking lots and walk and driveways

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Anne <aynabet3 [at] gmail.com> wrote (via Fred) :

> We try to clear snow ASAP to prevent ice development.

I'd like to second that.  I try to clear snow before it has been
walked or driven on. Packed snow is much harder to remove and becomes
ice like.  Sometimes someone walks by before I can get it cleared but
in cohousing there could be an agreement that all reasonable efforts
will be made to clear a path before walking on snow.

Often I do not clear snow completely at first, just one shovel
width gives room to walk without walking on snow.  I use a "push"
shovel whenever the depth allows.  Sometimes the big pile that
accumulated ahead of the push shovel does not get scooped away
initially. In that case an adjacent one shovel path is started
beside the pile.  I keep a bunch of shovels (used / repaired
from yard sales) at various places so there is one handy when
needed.

Later when time permits I clean up and widen the initial effort.

I keep a sand/salt mixture in buckets at two ends of our lot
that I use very sparingly when needed.

In cohousing there could be an agreement to cooperate with a
similar system:
1) avoid packing new snow
2) shovel a minimal path if you are the first one after new snow

"Shovel parties" would also be possible.
I see some of my neighbors while shoveling that I would see less or
not at all in the winter.  We try to visit a bit at breaks.

Fred who does not live in cohousing but faces some of the same issues
  on our friendly block in Minneapolis where we have had a lot of
  small snowfalls this year and now frigid weather.

--
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
     Email:        fholson at cohousing.org      612-588-9532
My Link Pg: http://fholson.cohousing.org         My org:
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