Man Spends $500 to Clear St. Louis Streets After Storm

Kenneth Harrell didn't wait for the city to catch up. When he saw St. Louis neighbors stuck on snow-covered streets days after a winter storm, he rented heavy equipment and started plowing.

Harrell doesn't even live in the neighborhood he helped. But he felt connected to the community and knew people needed to get around.

The cost to rent a Bobcat-style skid steer loader was about $500, which Harrell paid out of his own pocket. He spent days navigating narrow streets that many drivers couldn't pass through.

"Originally we were putting out a crew to hand shovel and we were charging for sidewalks," Harrell told KSDK. "It just didn't make sense to me that people could get out of the house, but not off the street."

Word spread fast. Videos of Harrell clearing roads began circulating on social media, with neighbors sharing clips of the machine carving paths through packed snow.

Some residents heard about "someone with a skid steer" helping out before they even saw it themselves. When restaurant owner Karen Wiley Vails needed parking spaces cleared, she reached out through social media.

"He inboxed me today and I said, 'I'll be there,'" Vails said. "And I said yay. This is what community looks like."

Sunny's Take

What makes this story special isn't just the cleared streets. It's watching someone see a problem and solve it without asking permission or waiting for credit.

Harrell's actions created a ripple effect beyond the snow he moved. His example reminded neighbors what's possible when someone decides to help, even when it costs them time and money.

City officials took notice too. When asked whether unofficial plowing was allowed, St. Louis Streets Commissioner Kent Flake kept it simple: "I mean, if they're helping, I'm not going to tell them no."

Sometimes community doesn't wait for official channels. Sometimes it shows up with rented equipment and gets to work.