Snow shoveling

As a stockholding member of our co-op, removing snow from your coreway’s sidewalk is a part of your winter coreway cleaning duties. Our policy is that the entry sidewalks (that is, the cement leading from a coreway to the main sidewalk) be cleared within 24 hours of snowfall, preferably avoiding CSCC quiet hours (between 9 pm and 9 am). With the exception of the bike rack area, these sidewalks are to be cleared completely, including removing the “ridge” of snow that is sometimes left by the snow removal machines clearing the main sidewalks. If any ice is present, you can spread a sand/salt mixture which is kept in a bucket in your building’s laundry room. However, the mixture should be used sparingly, as an excess will break down the cement. In addition to snow shovels, most buildings also have an ice chipper available for residents to use. (It resembles a garden hoe, but the end blade sticks straight out.) The fine for not clearing your coreway’s snow is $30.

Winter parking

Every winter Minnesota’s freezing temperatures leave the parking lots (and roads!) icy. Take caution when maneuvering your car to avoid losing control and hitting other cars. During times of heavy snowfall, our maintenance team does their best to keep our parking lots clear. If snow is present and you have not used your car in several days, please take a few minutes to move your car to an already cleared spot in the parking lot so that our maintenance crew can clear out your old spot. And please ensure that the front of your car does not cover the main sidewalk; this prevents full snow clearance and can also cause accidents with the snow removal machines.

City of Minneapolis Snow Emergency notices – sign up!

During heavy snowfalls, the city of Minneapolis will declare a “Snow Emergency,” in which special parking rules go into effect to both allow for timely and complete snow clearance by the city’s snow plows as well as to ensure access for emergency vehicles. These rules determine on which side of the street vehicles may park each day (for more information, go to: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/snow/snow_parking-info), and failure to abide will result in your car being towed. To assist with Snow Emergency notification, you can sign up for e-mail or text message alerts at: http://bit.ly/rsY0KS

Be prepared for emergencies

Always be prepared for emergencies, both inside your apartment and in your car. Make sure that you have a working flashlight, blanket, first aid kit, small water supply, snack items (granola bars, nuts, etc.), and winter items such as hats and gloves.

Heat in your apartment

The heat in your apartment is hot-water driven, and the elements are located along the outer walls of your apartment, next to the floor. Each level of your apartment has a control dial (located downstairs in the corner of the living room and upstairs in the largest bedroom) numbered 1-5, with 5 being the highest setting. Change in temperature is not immediate, however, so please be patient when you adjust the settings. Also, note that while the radiator extends along the entire length of the wall, heat is only released under the windows; therefore, please do not place furniture in front of the windows. To direct which rooms receive more or less heat, you can rotate a radiator’s “fins” open or closed.

Please conserve energy!

Heating our buildings is one of our co-op’s biggest expenses, and our co-op can save quite a sum of money simply by our awareness and wise energy usage. A few quick tips:

• Dress for winter… wear a sweater and slippers or thick socks in your apartment, rather than cranking the heat.
• Don’t open the windows while cooking, unless you have accidentally activated the smoke alarm.
• When leaving your apartment for multiple days, please turn your heat control dials down to the spot marked “ * ” (just below “1”). This will lower your apartment’s temperature, but will keep it warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing.
• And always, no matter the season, please turn off lights in unoccupied rooms, and especially when leaving your apartment… the energy saved adds up!