READING, Pa. – The shovels came out once again Monday, as people spent hours cleaning snow off the streets before it quickly turned to ice.
“Help us so we can help you,” said Reading Mayor Eddie Morán.
Morán asked the public to be patient and conscious as crews work to cleanup the streets following the weekend storm.
The city urged residents not to push snow back into the street.
“It creates some danger because if a plow doesn’t come by immediately thereafter, with the cold weather coming in, it’s going to freeze,” Morán said.
But as the work week began, residents spent hours trying to get their vehicles out of the snow.
“We’ve been cleaning for three hours. You have to do it yourself because they don’t clean anything,” said a resident in Reading.
While some feel the city could have done more, other said they were impressed by the cleanup so far.
“I’ve always had complaints about their snowstorms, but compared to most of them, they did a pretty good job, considering the amount of snow that has fallen,” said Michael Meléndez of Reading.
That snow was quickly turning to ice.
“Once it melts and that cold air hits it again, its going to freeze all over again,” Meléndez said. “Soon enough, we’ll have an ice skating rink out here.”
Public parking lots remain free for residents until Thursday afternoon to allow plows to clear snow. The city also asks residents to clear fire hydrants and reminds the public that saving parking spots is illegal.
“I would ask that let’s be good neighbors,” Morán said.
Make sure you’re dressing warm while doing it in bitter cold temperatures.
“The first obstacle I have is that my fingers get like this. I can’t stand the cold anymore,” said a resident in Reading.
While cleanup isn’t always fun, some used it to teach kids an important lesson.
“We were brought up with discipline and hard work. Nothing is given to you in life. The earlier they learn it, the better they’ll be,” Meléndez said.
The city remains under a snow emergency. Authorities are asking people to stay off snow emergency routes.