The shovel meeting the sidewalk has been a familiar sound around Bozeman recently.
City of Bozeman’s Director of Transportation and Engineering, Nick Ross, says he often reminds folks the best time to shovel is right after it happens.
“We do have an average of about 90 inches of snowfall every year, which is the most of any big city in Montana and more than 50 days of snow,” Ross said.
City code requires property owners shovel within 24 hours of a snowfall. Ross says when he started in his position a few years ago he was often hearing about problems with elderly community members or those with disabilities being unable to perform the task.
So, last year the city started a 'Snow Angels Program' ,matching volunteers with those in need of extra help.
This year the program has grown to 20 participants, and Ross says both years have seen far more volunteers than residents asking for help. However, pairing volunteers living in close proximity to the requesting resident is still a work in progress.
“The program works best when it can be a casual thing within the neighborhood, where a volunteer might be able to take a walk down the block and help out,” Ross said.
Ross says with a growing city, and many new people who may not know their neighbors yet, coupled with wider social changes in how we connect as a community, has left some gaps in the neighborly act of shoveling someone else’s sidewalk.
“We certainly prefer more of that organic community input in helping each other out, but where we can , as the city here, we very much like to be a matchmaker or vessel for some of that community support,” Ross said.
