Articles from the Neighborhood Newsletter

by Mary Cummings (Jason Street)

Weathering winter in the neighborhood is described as a pleasure or a test of endurance depending on whom you ask. Age is certainly a factor when snow is involved and icy streets complicate all our lives but, overall, we seem able to make the best of the cold, dark season. Hill’s Pond becomes an animated Currier and Ives scene every year but this year, the skating extended from the pond onto the paths with the Jason Street path being glacial from the first snow fall in December to today (2/21/08). I was glad to see some of it melting in the recent heavy rains until I noticed that it was melting into my basement!

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by Steve Johnson (Jason Street)

People who don’t clean snow from the roof of their cars. Or those who don’t clean more than a peephole from one window. Come on, you can do it. Everybody’s in a hurry; think about safety and visibility! Legislation was introduced last year to require drivers to remove ice and snow from their vehicles before hitting the road, by State Rep. Cleon Turner of Dennis. A previous attempt by State Rep. Brian Knuuttila (Gardner) called for a fine of $500 and up to six months in jail for failure to clean. Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and several provinces of Canada have all proposed similar measures to make driving a snow fort a punishable offense. Right now, it is a penalty of insurance liability (you spray, you pay). Hopefully the oversight will extend to truckers who don’t cover their loads.