Winter in Boston often comes with the need to clean up after many a storm. That rang true for residents in West Roxbury and surrounding communities last weekend and again on Tuesday, when snow returned in full to the area.
But one silver lining is available for residents who may face issues that arise from winter storms, such as road and sidewalk conditions that need attention, or for any residents that may need a hand digging out in or around their homes, as was the case this past weekend with a number of residents from West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and Hyde Park.
The solution is known as SnowCrew, an online tool available at the social networking site NeighborsforNeighbors.org, a platform former Jaimaica Plain resident Joseph Porcelli designed for local residents to interact with one another.
Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We're a nonprofit," Procelli said. "We're here to serve people. The idea here is to make it possible for our readers to interact. One of the things we're trying to accomplish is a level of automation."
In other words, Porcelli said, he'd like to eventually see users use the site at will to post any issues they face after winter snow storms.
Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The site has been around for several years, and has been available for residents to post storm-related needs almost as long, but Porcelli said storms, like the ones that have hit the area this week, present the opportunity to remind residents in the area that the service is available.
Residents in West Roxbury and surrounding Boston neighborhoods are encouraged to utilize the tool if they need a hand shoveling or are facing other storm-related issues. For non-emergency information or services, residents should contact the Mayor's 24-hour hotline at 617-635-4500.
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