Katrina Boatright gets the calls every day.
“People missed it, they didn’t hear, people are crying, what am I going to do?” said the manager of Senior and Disability Services at Aurora City Hall. “It breaks my heart every time.”
But just how much Boatright and the city can do is hamstrung by money at the moment, and some aldermen talked this week about how to expand and to better get the word out about the city’s Operation Senior Shovel program.
“We have people who have need,” said Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward, chair on the City Council Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee.
Operation Senior Shovel is in its second year of providing snow shoveling for sidewalks and driveways of senior citizens and people with disabilities. The idea of the program is to help people who cannot shovel snow themselves.
The city began its program last year, although Aurora Township has had a similar program for years. This year, the city expanded the number of people who can be in the program from 150 to 175. The roster currently is full, and Boatright said the city has a waiting list of another 55 people.
The program seeks to match volunteers with those who need the shoveling, and that’s where the city has had problems. Boatright said the city would like 75 volunteers, but only has 34 at this point.
“We’re struggling this year,” she said. “I’m hoping some email responses will be coming back this week … before the next snow event.”
For that reason, Boatright said her office sought bids from contractors to do some of the work, making the program a hybrid of volunteers and contract work.
Aldermen on the Public Health Committee recommended hiring Tavarez & Sons Lawn Care, and Guardian Landscape, both of Aurora, to do the work. Boatright said they would be paid $100 for each job, although only $70 for driveways of less than 1,200 square feet. She estimated as of now, each contractor would have 35 to 40 jobs from the list.
But aldermen did question if the city did enough to reach seniors and the disabled. Because the list does not automatically renew itself, people had to call back this year to get on the list, even if they were on the list last year.
“There are seniors who don’t use the internet,” said Hart-Burns. “What are we doing for the folks who don’t have the ability to use the internet? Churches only reach who’s in their congregation.”
Boatright said the city sent out flyers, news releases to television, radio and newspapers, and advertised on social media.
“We’ve done what we can do,” she said. “Unfortunately, there’s no best way to reach everyone.”
Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, suggested the city could send out a flyer with every water utility bill.
Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, asked if the city had considered teaming up with Aurora Township, and its program, and Boatright said there have been discussions about that.
“Maybe next year, because they already had a list,” she said.
Hart-Burns said City Council members appreciate the work Boatright and her office have done on the shoveling program, “but I wish it had more teeth.”
“We have to make this program work,” she said.
