[Summit] snow removal in Providence

[Elizabeth Grossman]

I received the following email today and thought that in light of the  
ongoing discussion about snow removal during this current storm, you  
all would value this account.... My friend found it when he "fired  
up" an old computer.
plus ca change; plus ca meme chose.  Elizabeth,  8th Street


Providence at it’s Best and Worst, or “Buddy, can you spare a shovel?”

Finally, a winter worth it’s salt!  A fairly heavy snowfall being  
predicted, I arose early. The city is always so beautiful under its  
soft white blanket, all the rough edges concealed, the litter neatly  
tucked under. And so quiet, too! Even the snowplows and salt-trucks  
sound so far away, they might be on another world. But it’s a Monday,  
so the sweet sound of spinning tires soon breaks my revery. Oh, but  
for my youth in Foster-Gloucester-No-School, when I could have left  
my textbooks on the shelf, and earned a couple of dollars shoveling  
the neighbors out. Still, shovel I must - “it’s the law” - so I  
bundle up, and clear the sidewalk in front of my house, so the  
mailman won’t slip and fall, if he happens to come today. I start  
early, as the walk to work today will be slow. The bus? - I thought  
of that, but I’m supposed to be at work pretty much the same time  
five days a week, not just alternate Wednesdays, noon to five,  
weather permitting. At the top of the my street, I climb over the  
chest high pile of snow across the width of the sidewalk that the  
local gas station doesn’t think they’ll be needing. The man driving  
the jeep plowing out the station dumps another load in the street,  
and returns my wave. Poor man, his hands must be frozen, with his  
finger stuck in that position. On I go, down Douglas Avenue, wishing  
I’d brought my crampons and ice axe - that first pile was merely a  
foothill. My heart leaped to see that our city workers, and their  
comrades with the state, were engaged in friendly competition. The  
snow ramparts blocking the sidewalks mounted ever higher, until at  
the Registry, you couldn’t even see over the top to find the steps  
down to Smith Street. Whoever walks to the Registry, anyway?   
Downtown, our friendly parking merchants have cleared their lots and  
used our lovely new sidewalks to create handicapped accessible mini  
ski slopes at nearly every corner.  Meanwhile, on the Riverwalk side,  
there seems to be some difficulty deciding who is responsible for  
clearing a path for conventiongoers, sightseers, shoppers and the  
walking public. Do these walks belong to the City?, the State?, the  
Federal Park System?, or maybe the Narragansett Indians?  I suppose I  
should relax - it’ll be spring soon, and it won’t be snowing quite so  
much.

Bob Vennerbeck
Providence, RI

22 February 1993