Originally published in the February 22, 2007 edition of The Lantern. It is posted here unedited.
Alex Hall was tired of being carless.
After four days of walking, busing and hitching rides the junior in communication decided Monday night he had had enough of the snow.
“I’m sick of it,” Hall said, attacking the ice that enveloped his tires with a six-inch scraper. “I need to dig it out.”
Although the bitter-cold temperatures appear to be retreating, snow piles lining many campus streets are not disappearing as fast.
The Columbus Department of Public Service, which oversees all snow removal, has been working hard this past week, said Mary Webster, assistant director of the department.
“The expectations of the average resident are simply not in sync with the services the city provides,” Webster said.
The city has received a considerable number of complaints from residents stemming from a day-long snowfall followed by extremely low temperatures.
“Our goal is to make all roads passable,” she said. “Not to make them completely cleared.”
Webster said the increase in temperature this week should help the snow removal process.
Last week’s cold temperatures caused more problems than discomfort.
A water service line leading to south High Street ruptured and caused more than a foot of water to flood Ninth Ave., said Rick Tilton, assistant director for policy and communications in the public utilities department.
“It’s completely typical this time of year,” said Tilton, who has reported 180 ruptured water pipes this winter.
South campus streets appeared more like crime scenes than thoroughfares with police tape blocking access to Ninth and Hunter Avenues.
Students are still feeling the effects of the limited street parking.
Nathan Kuntz, a senior in sports management, and David Murrel took turns clearing the street in front of their 10th Ave. apartment. They offered a word of advice to the city.
“They should make it mandatory for people to move their cars off the streets so they could plow the rest of the snow that keeps blocking people in,” Murrel said.
Webster said she agreed with him stating the city has looked into that idea for next year.
Some students decided against driving all together.
Joanna Hammer a senior in art, said her Volkswagen Cabriolet was under snow for more than a week. She spent her Monday afternoon digging it out.
“I’ve been avoiding driving like the plague,” she said.
