As the manager of Rensselaer’s Neighborhood Renewal Initiatives, I correspond daily with local residents, businesses, and community organizations. You can easily guess what the prevalent topic has been the past few weeks—snow. With record accumulations, the city’s snow removal crews have simply been overwhelmed and the return of several thousand RPI students over this last weekend makes navigating the streets even tougher. Here are five simple things that all residents can do to help the situation.

• Cooperate with the removal effort. Obey street cleaning signs posted by the city, or you may be towed. When a garbage or delivery vehicle asks you to move your vehicle temporarily, please do so. They are doing a job for you and your neighbors and the only thing worse than piles of snow are piles of garbage in the snow. It’s also a good idea to leave a set of keys handy for roommates or trusted neighbors to move your car for you in an emergency. This could save you a hefty towing fee and could save someone’s life if the vehicle needing passage is an ambulance or fire truck.

• Students can get permits and move cars to the Redhawk Shuttle lots by the Field House during the day. Even if you live close enough to walk to campus this will allow snow removal, service, and emergency vehicles to get through the streets while you are at class. Remember though that you can’t park there overnight.

• Inform your landlord if sidewalks and driveways are impassable. They may not be aware of how bad the problem is at your location. If they schedule a contractor to remove the snow be sure to move your cars out of their way so they can do the removal work.

• Keep calm, it is temporary. It is not worth arguing over. Everyone is suffering the same inconvenience.

• Suggestion number five is a bit out of the box. Find a shovel and actually clear the sidewalk or driveway yourself. And here’s a radical thought: shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk, too. I know you’re here to study, not to shovel, but done correctly, it’s good exercise. Consider it your workout alternative.

Utilizing available resources and personal muscle to improve the community is what good citizens do. It’s what good neighbors do. Some of you are doing this already. The Times Union is running articles about good snow samaritans, citizens who help others with snow related issues without being asked to. A nice idea, but I’m going to one up them:  If a local resident or landlord sends me verifiable evidence of the good deeds of RPI students related to snow removal, I will not only publish their story in the Neighborhood News,  I will buy the students dinner!  For real. The act of kindness must be commensurate with the number of “snow angels” involved, of course. Please have your story sent to Barb Nelson, Campus Planning & Facilities Design, RPI, 110 8th Street, Troy NY 12180, before March 1, 2003. I look forward to reading them, to dinner, and to an early spring.

Barbara L. Nelson,

AIA Project Manager

Campus Planning &