City snow clearing priorities

[Dustin Pillow]

Hello,

Hopefully this group can help me understand something I must be missing. The last two days some yahoo has been clearing the ice off Deering Oaks Pond. I mean spending hours per day going back and forth. Meanwhile the walks on State, Deering, and through the park are untouched or at best sketchy. At first I thiught it was a really dedicated ice skater with his own equipment, but today I noticed he offloaded from a city vehicle. So does this guy work for the city and not understand more people walk around that area on their feet? Ice skating is great recreation, but shouldn't we focus on standard walking surfaces first?

Very excited to move out of that neighborhood Friday. 

Best regards, 

Dusty Pillow

[Emma Holder]

I think the Parks and Rec workers are a different crew (and budget and manager) than the street cleaning crew. 

Not a great answer, I know. 

And yes, Parkside has issues. I lived there for 27 years. I love it, but know the flaws. 

E

Emma Holder

207.415.7204

Http://emmaholder.com

Humankind. Let's be both. 

On Jan 27, 2026, at 09:57, Dustin Pillow <dustin...@gmail.com> wrote:



--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to PBPAC+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAK-Xrv3B5jf4D%3D4GL%2BHEa48Ccy9cqhApJ_svekGzHRXVeQmyrw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Damon Yakovleff]

Yes, the City has two winter maintenance crews. Public Works clears streets and public lots, while Parks and Rec clears the "school routes", certain sidewalks and trail connections. Apparently this also includes the ice skating areas as well. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/5F48EDBF-A010-4BD9-AC6A-C2F5067C6C2C%40emmaholder.com.

[Winston Lumpkins]

While it does seem like personnel should focus on critical transportion links before skating, part of this could be equipment related- we know that the parks department doesn't have enough sidewalk snowplows to clear a storm like this in 24 hours. 

If they had abother couple plows, this guy might have been doing that instead of working on the skating pond first? 

Ideally we could have skating and clear sidwalks and bike lanes...  

One thing I wonder about is should parks really be doing the sidewalks, or should it be the Department of Public Works?  Leave the parks to parks and transportion to DPW?

Does anyone know the history of city sidewalk snowplowing operations? 

-Winston

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

• 
  

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CALqySnkSt-UjB7t7gcdKddipwmJih0Rzh1KpncMgpMXwc%2BkUaw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Zack Barowitz]

I think parks does it because the arborist crews are slow in the winter. 

To be fair, I think they are snow blowing the sidewalks rather than plowing them which has better results. 

And I agree that the pond should be deprioritized. 

Zack 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

ATTENTION:
The information in this electronic mail message is private and confidential,
and only intended for the addressee. Should you receive this message by
mistake, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, reproduction,
distribution or use of this message is strictly prohibited. Please inform
the sender by reply transmission and delete the message without copying or
opening it.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CABaJc7zhkCueMQNRpXCMMYXiH-1mWd_TyxfHL3n08YMEnjV35w%40mail.gmail.com.

[John Brooking]

Related question, whose responsibility is clearing Metro stops? There is a stop across from UNUM on Outer Congress, where my office is now, that I sometimes use to take the #7 into Portland after work. It’s never shoveled, requiring standing on the snow bank next to the shouldeless travel lane (and no sidewalk).

Recently I submitted a request to SeeClickFix to have it shoveled. It was transferred to Public Services and closed. I haven’t used it since then until tonight, so I confess I didn’t notice whether it was actually done, but of course it doesn’t matter now since Monday. It’s not shoveled (again?) now. But I don’t want to have to keep submitting tickets for it.

Maybe I’ll just keep a shovel at work and do it myself! 🙂

John Brooking

Cyclist, Cycling Educator, Technologist

https://www.facebook.com/CyclingSavvy4ME/, http://cyclingsavvy.org

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAE741VAoFoV3GAizF6OaDnJ699Fxr9jMkt93%2BGPV8POr9744uw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Zack Barowitz]

Probably the best bet John. 

And just thinking about the ice clearing a little more, it may simply be a matter of a single employee who has taken on that one task ask their ‘baby.’

I’ve seen this happen many times. Sometimes out of self-interest (they might skate), sometimes because they prefer the task to others, and sometimes people will just say “I can’t make everything perfect but at least I can make this one little thing perfect.”

(Small consolation if you face plant on a path, I know.)

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

ATTENTION:
The information in this electronic mail message is private and confidential,
and only intended for the addressee. Should you receive this message by
mistake, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, reproduction,
distribution or use of this message is strictly prohibited. Please inform
the sender by reply transmission and delete the message without copying or
opening it.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAJg%3D2oxpw4B%3Dr0k7%3Dd0iYnh3tSpT-eOrXrtDfe-F98XB4v-nJQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Emma Holder]

When I was PNA prez, a gentleman came to ask neighbors to take on a few stops to shovel.

I took on the three on park ave - that was fun after a blizzard :D

Not sure what became of the program, but it could be a NA caretaking possibility.

E

Emma Holder

LMT MSc CMLDT

Humankind, let's be both

207 415 7204

em...@emmaholder.com

https://emmaholder.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAJg%3D2oxpw4B%3Dr0k7%3Dd0iYnh3tSpT-eOrXrtDfe-F98XB4v-nJQ%40mail.gmail.com.