Cranston Students to Help Elderly and Disabled Dig Out this WInter

CRANSTON,RI—The city is about to unveil a new program that will connect young and old to keep city sidewalks clear this winter.

A press conference is planned for next Tuesday to announce the new program, which entails students from Cranston’s two high schools helping senior residents on fixed incomes or receiving state assistance.

Residents with health conditions are also eligible, as well as people on the Special Needs Emergency Registry.

More details will be announced at the press conference planned for 2:30 p.m. at the Cranston Senior Center.

In attendance will be officials from the mayor’s office, school department, students and several residents who will receive assistance this winter.

In recent years, heavy snowfall has led to complaints about inaccessible sidewalks. While many property owners dutifully clear the sidewalks along their property, not everyone has the physical means to get the job done.

That’s something that police have routinely encountered as officers set about enforcing the city’s ordinance mandating that sidewalks be cleared within 48 hours after the end of a storm.

The ordinance has put the city in tough spots on numerous occasions where enforcing the ordinance presents a hardship.

The new program aims to alleviate that conflict. It also will help identify the scofflaws who do have the means to clear a sidewalk, but choose not to.