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Glenarden City Council presses for targeted snow removal after seniors blocked from municipal center
Summary
Councilmembers flagged repeated plow work that left sidewalks, bus stops and a municipal center handicapped access blocked after recent storms; they urged immediate shoveling and targeted clearing while debating a potential $14,000 allocation and longer-term renovations.
Glenarden City Council members spent the bulk of their open meeting raising urgent concerns about snow removal that they said has left sidewalks, bus stops and handicap-accessible entrances obstructed.
Councilman Herring said residents reported Public Works repeatedly plowing Glenarm Parkway and blocking driveways, and described an elderly neighbor whose driveway was re-covered after paying for private clearing. “They came and blocked it back in,” he said, adding that “they need to be opened up” at the bus stops and at municipal facilities. Herring urged the city to prioritize safety and ADA access at the municipal center.
Several councilmembers suggested immediate, low-cost remedies. Councilwoman Jones recommended waiting to see the weekend melt, and advocated deploying shovel crews or staff to clear critical handicap and bus-stop approaches now rather than authorizing a larger expenditure immediately: “I wouldn't spend $14,000 now when the temperature is rising,” she said.
Other councilmembers pressed administrators to identify which sidewalks the city owns and to dispatch crews or pickaxe teams where ice and packed snow pose an access risk. “You can't get into this building if you got a wheelchair or a walker,” one councilmember said, describing ice-covered handicapped parking and entrance areas at the municipal center.
Councilmember LaCrosse (as recorded) told the administrative team to anticipate roadblocks, ask what will be needed and follow through on enforcement and scheduling so citizens do not keep raising the same issues. Multiple members also asked staff to check whether available portable heaters could be moved from the community room to provide temporary warmth for seniors who use the municipal center.
The council did not receive public comments on the pending resolution to appoint Brian Wood as city manager; the chair opened citizens' comments but none spoke on that item.
Next steps: councilmembers asked staff to identify priority locations, notify Public Works and the city manager, and consider targeted shoveling or localized removal before committing to larger spending or renovations.
Votes at a glance: the meeting adopted an amended agenda by unanimous consent that included the snow-removal discussion.
