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All things considered, West Easton had a pretty mild winter. With winter coming to an end and hopefully the last of any significant snowfall in West Easton being seen, I wanted to take a few minutes on this first day of spring to thank Dane and his helper, who plowed the roads and cleaned the borough owned sidewalks.

I had the opportunity during one of the first snowfalls to assist the borough when Dane needed someone to shovel the walks, because of the absence of his usual help. I used a snow blower for the walks around the ball field area, but had to use a hand shovel for the walk along the upper park and part of Ridge Street. I can only blame myself for the sore back, since I volunteered to fill in that night for the massive sum of $10/hr. and didn’t bring my own ergonomic snow shovel.

I haven’t worked that hard for so little money since I was in high school. I should also mention I hate snow. If it didn’t insist on being so cold I would probably like it more.

As I finished, Dane still had about 20 minutes of plowing left, so I rode with him as he finished up a couple of side streets on his way back to the Municipal Building and my vehicle. He took care in making sure every pathway was accessible for travel.

For anyone who might be inclined to believe that their car or driveway receives an excessive amount of snow, don’t think it is intentional. From what I observed, Dane actually avoided doing so, when the opportunity was available to leave most of it somewhere else, without delaying the plowing of all the streets.

If you happen to have a garage and the entrance gets that mound of snow in front of it from a passing plow, you aren’t alone. It’s the nature of the beast and isn’t intentional. It’s actually unavoidable, given the time constraints of getting it all done with limited equipment and the small workforce. Everybody has to dig out their car.

Overall, I think we can all agree that our streets are plowed and salted well, within a reasonable amount of time. It’s one of the benefits of living in such a small community that doesn’t rely on another town to clean our streets.

By the way, it is a violation of town ordinances to throw snow back into the street. Also, you have 24 hours after the conclusion of a snow event to clear the street sidewalks around your home. Of the latter, it seems that pretty much everyone in West Easton never waits that long.

Note: I mentioned my ergonomically designed shovel. It’s all in the handle design that allows for less strain on the back when picking up snow. You can find an 18-Inch Snow Shovel with Ergonomic Shaped Comfort Grip Handle on Amazon. Order one for next year. Well worth the under $25 price tag if you’re an old fart like me, or a younger person who doesn’t want back trouble when you become an old fart.

If my suggestions are still worth considering by the council, our road employees should be provided with these types of shovels, rather than the straight handles they are now using.