Tired of waiting for city plows to reach their snowcrete-clogged streets, some DC-area residents are taking matters into their own hands, hiring private companies to deal with public streets that haven’t been effectively cleared by the city’s trucks. One Chevy Chase DC resident, Cindy Sherman, s ent a proposal to her neighbors to band together and pay for a private plow company, which she says ended up costing $1,500. “Twenty-four people, including our family, all decided they wanted to do it,” she says. “It ended up being only $62.50 per person, so that was really manageable.” The plow arrived around 8 PM on Monday and cleared the block in about two hours, according to Sherman. She requested the service Monday afternoon after realizing that she and many other residents in her neighborhood couldn’t get to work, go to doctor’s appointments, see their grandkids, or buy groceries. Numerous plow businesses exist in the DC area for residential cleanup, including SML Services, Plowz and Mowz, Blue Collars Scholars, and Kehoe Landscaping. Sherman decided to enlist a private, word-of-mouth-only service operated by Lee Stillwell and Nick Carone. Carone says they don’t often see streets as unplowed as they currently are after last weekend’s storm. “Usually it’s a lot better than this,” says Carone. “The rain didn’t help because it created a hard crust on top, but for a normal plow, that shouldn’t really affect it. But there are a lot of streets still not plowed.” Like Carone and Stillwell, Frank Diaz, owner of a small landscaping company in Gaithersburg called Josephine’s Garden, has been receiving lots of requests this week to plow public streets and alleys in Maryland and Northwest DC. “As Americans, we tend to be restless—if we feel restricted, we get anxious,” says Diaz. “Even my clients who are in their seventies and eighties are like, ‘Can you come dig me out?’ when the city hasn’t even plowed the streets yet.” The cost for most residential plow services will likely be between $1,500 and $2,000, depending on factors such as street size and snow cover. Carone notes that narrow streets, alleys, and streets with cars lining both sides will likely be more expensive due to the maneuvering challenges. German Vigil, public information officer for the District Department of Transportation, says the department is working hard to clear the snow, but that most of the efforts so far have been on primary streets instead of residential roads. He says DDOT is working with contractors to make sure the rest of the work gets done. To help, District residents can call 311 to report a street that hasn’t yet been plowed. While the DDOT attempts to clear snow from main city streets—opting for bobcats and other heavy machinery instead of snow plows—more frustrated residents are turning to their community for action. Nextdoor, a neighborhood network for news, safety alerts, and callouts, is full of snow removal offers and requests in the DMV. Commercial truck driver and North Petworth resident Jawuan Moore posted on the app asking if anyone needed help with snow removal on their cars, driveways, sidewalks, and doorways. More than a dozen people responded asking for assistance. “My grandma recommended the app, and I’ve been doing pretty well so far,” says Moore. “I was called off work this week, so I’m just coming out trying to be some help.” Dawn Baker lives in Tenleytown, and while most of the streets near her have been plowed by city vehicles, she says her car was completely boxed in. She requested help clearing away the snow on Nextdoor and says it took about an hour to remove the layer covering her car. The city is working hard despite the difficult situation, Baker says, and she appreciates local efforts to chip in around the area. “The community has been very helpful,” she says. “I think we’re doing the best we can.”The post Some DC Residents Are Taking Snow Management Into Their Own Hands first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less