If citizens can clear their sidewalks, city government can clear theirs

As we walked down Haywood Street on Feb. 1 to Waking Life Espresso (which has a great scene and great coffee), we were bothered by having to walk in the street in front of the West Asheville police station and the library on Haywood, because the sidewalk was piled high with an icy snow mix.

We agreed that as much as anywhere, the police station and library should ensure that their sidewalk is cleared for pedestrians. Clearing my sidewalk on Hudson Street was among my first tasks this past Saturday morning. If we can do it on our dinky side street, the city can too!

— Josh Rosenberg
Asheville

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30 thoughts on “If citizens can clear their sidewalks, city government can clear theirs

  1. travelah

    Why don’t you get in the volunteer spirit and grab your shovel, go to the place you are complaining about and clean the walk? It’s your place too, isn’t it?

  2. lokel

    The City is “do as I say not as I do” when it comes to a lot of things they should be doing.

  3. Joshua M. Rosenberg

    Travelah:

    The reason why I won’t do that is because I got my butt out of bed Saturday morning and shoveled the sidewalk in front of my house before digging out my driveway. It wasn’t a big deal and I wasn’t being a martyr, and I probably never would have mentioned it had I not experienced problems with city sidewalks! I’ll do my part, and I’ll care that others do theirs. I will put my volunteer time and heart into areas other than shoveling out a city sidewalk. That is the job and responsibility of others. Did you shovel your sidewalk when we have had snow? I’m interested in what you have to say and respect your opinion.

    Josh

  4. travelah

    Joshua,
    pffstschtick isn’t altogether correct. I live in Lake Junaluska and Charleston SC. This winter I am in Charleston. I have shoveled more walks and drives over my lifetime than I care to remember. It was how I made pocket change years ago when I was a kid.
    Of course, clearing the walk ways and spaces of public buildings is somebody’s job responsibility but that wasn’t what I was really addressing. In my view there is a growng lack of volunteerism and it is replaced by either an apathy or a complaint. I am not singling you out. My comment is more general in nature. Thirty minutes of volunteer effort would have benefited a lot of people and removed a great inconvenience. I’m not suggesting something I haven’t done myself or wouldn’t do. Magnify that a few times with others and you begin to recognize a community that isn’t focused on me, myself and I. In addition to that you have charity that is real rather than the faux kumbaya tree planting for “green space” charity that the vocal “me’s” get excited about.
    Hope that helped.

  5. Joshua Rosenberg

    Thanks for your comment Travelah. I wrote a letter to the editors of the Express last night “tipping my hat” to the FD for doing a great job.

  6. anonymous

    “It was how I made pocket change years ago when I was a kid”

    yeah, you should shovel out of a sense of volunteerism because he used to …. shovel for money? makes sense to me.

  7. tatuaje

    I love it when people call you out on your inconsistencies and your only response is to call them ‘tarded’, as in ‘retarded’.

    Too bad Palin’s married ’cause it seems to me that ya’ll would make a lovely couple!

  8. travelah

    Yo haven’t called anybody out on any inconsistencies. You are just running your fingers.

  9. Piffy!

    [b]pffstschtick isn’t altogether correct. I live in Lake Junaluska and Charleston SC. This winter I am in Charleston.[/b]

    Umm, how does that make me in any way incorrect. None of those places are in asheville. Not even close.

  10. Piffy!

    [b]n addition to that you have charity that is real rather than the faux kumbaya tree planting for “green space” charity that the vocal “me’s” get excited about.[/b]

    WHAT THE #### DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE TOPIC AT ALL YOU CRAZY, WHINY, OLD MALCONTENT??? JEEBUS EFFING CHRITSOS ON A PIECE OF FRENCH TOAST!

  11. Joshua M. Rosenberg

    Pff your last comment captured my own personal sentiment toward the turn this thread took.

    Josh
    twitter.com/jrosenberg6432

  12. travelah

    pfstschtick kind of had the doors blown off his pointed little head …

    From Lake Junaluska, I can be in downtown Asheville in less than half an hour without traffic. That is “pretty near” except for the geographically challenged.

  13. travelah

    To had to that, I’m actually closer travel time than those in Hendersonville

  14. Piffy!

    Travelah, you dont live in asheville. You ahrdly even live ‘near’ asheville, and that is only part time. The rest of the time you live in South Carolina. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just informing the letter-writer about your location, since you seem to think your the end all be all on snow shoveling in a city you dont live in, and possibly never have.

    Now, go rant about fictional wrongs being committed by angry, shoeless people in towns you dont live in.

  15. Joshua M. Rosenberg

    Travelah, you don’t live in Asheville any more than I live in Lake Junaluska. West Asheville is dissimilar to Asheville – we’re more community focused. So perhaps it is easy to identify with Asheville’s downtown but the neighborhoods around Asheville have a more rooted identity. Regardless, I appreciate your input, but I think you’re off-base here. This is why we pay taxes; this is why we have jobs. Most importantly, the fireman of West Asheville did a good job of clearing the sidewalk as soon as they were notified by the Mountain Express. We all did our part, and things seem resolved to me! Thanks y’all for caring; if we stop caring, then we get in real trouble. So I think you’re dead on with caring so much about Asheville even if you live a bit away.

  16. travelah

    I live “part time” in both places but since you didn’t grasp what “near” means in this age, you could be excused for your geographical challenges. I suspect the person I replied to fully understtod what I was discussing after my clarification to him.

  17. Cheshire

    While you may live within driving distance of Asheville, travelah…you’re still outside both the city and county. Lake Juneluska is the other side of Clyde, in Haywood county. It’s a small town and doesn’t compare to Asheville in that fashion. I’ve grown up in small towns like that. I can honestly say it’s not on a comparable level. It’s apples and oranges.

    I didn’t know you were outside Buncombe, and a migrator at that. Puts things rapidly in perspective.

  18. travelah

    Chesire,
    I made no claim that Asheville is comparable to any of the sane communities that surround it. I would sugest your perspective is likely to lead you to the wrong conclusion.

  19. this is my cute screen name

    Less than half an hour from Lake Junaluska to downtown Asheville? No way. It takes light particles longer than that. 45 minutes if you’re flooring it.

    Why are Charleston residents so mouthy on the Xpress forums/comments? The two posters who have something to say about everything in Asheville both live in Charleston…

  20. tatuaje

    Why are Charleston residents so mouthy on the Xpress forums/comments?

    They hate our freedoms.

  21. travelah

    I have made it from LJ to the Patton ave exit off 240 in 30 minutes or less more times than I can count. It is 24 miles, all freeway, except for the time from my drive to the highway.
    As I noted earlier, I live in both places, pay taxes in both and enjoy the amenities of both. Life is good.

  22. Cheshire

    From interstate exit to exit, yeah. I make the commute from just east of Asheville to west of Clyde up to 5 times a week. From starting the vehicle to shutting it off? Not a chance.

    My perspective? What would you be referring to, by chance?

  23. travelah

    As I have stated, I have made it in under 30 minutes countless times … stay out of MY left lane.
    East of Asheville to west of Clyde is a good bit more than 24 miles.

  24. travelah

    To add to that, I drove from LJ to Fletcher every morning averaging 40 minutes with traffic.

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