DECATUR — Hate to shovel snow? Decatur homeowners now have access to an on-demand snow-removal service.
Gene Caballero, owner of GreenPal, described his business as "Uber for lawn care" where vendors bid on jobs without having to talk with the homeowner face-to-face. Snow removal is a new service added to the company's already-existing service of on-demand lawn mowing.
"Homeowners can list their snow removal needs with their desired service date," Caballero said. "Snow removal companies then bid on the property based on the Google street and aerial images and any other details the homeowner provides."
The owners then choose who to work with based on vendor ratings, reviews and pricing. Payment is conducted through the GreenPal app and requires the vendor to send a time-stamped picture of the finished work. The transaction not being done face-to-face is a good way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the industry has commonly been a cash business, Caballero said.
"Over 30% of GreenPal customers are over the age of 60," he said. "That demographic is the most susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and falling fatally ill from it."
More information on the service can be found at yourgreenpal.com.
History photos: Past winters in Decatur
1981
1981: Old Man Winter even has some exercise for people who prefer not to sled or ski. It involves pushing stalled cars.
1985
1985: Mr. Snowman in his element.
1986
1986: Four boys use the snow to build a wall and turret.
1986
1986: It was abound to happen, and on Sunday, it did. Central Illinoisans, hit with a 7.5-inch snowfall, searched for shovels, snow blowers and boots that some, in an optimistic mood, might have put away for the year. As the snow swirled, Joan Pangric of Decatur shoveled her driveway. Others were content to enjoy the Sunday snowfall from the warm confines of their homes.
1986
1986: Ken Wait and his son, Matthew, 2, went sledding at Nelson Park Friday. Ken said his wife, Nancy, was at a retreat and he wanted to show her what fun he had as a weekend father. So he recorded the fun with a VCR camera.
1986
1986: Matt Voelker, 13, and Clint Wood, 11, tunnel through a pile of snow near the parkign lot at West Mound Apartments. Their goal was to build an igloo.
1987
1987: Part of the fun of winter is sliding on a sled on snow terrain. But if your sled happens to be a station wagon, and the road has a layer of fresh, snow-covered ice, you can end up like this. With Debbie Sund behind the wheel, Mike Sund, left, Jeremy Cribbs and Chuck Sund try to push the car out of the muck Monday in Decatur. It wasn't a great way to start the week, but they did manage to free the car.
1983
1983: Header over heels in the snow at Nelson Park in Decatur are Joe Alexander, 11, left, and Clayton Bleavins, 10, right.
1981
1981: Snow-laden tres arch over West Main Street near the Monroe Street intersection as cars fight the slush.
1987
1987: Eric Scheiter gets back into his car after inspecting a traffic light he slide into at Main and Grand. "I stepped on the brakes and nothing happened," he said.
1983
1983: Mother Nature left no doubt that the Lawn and Garden Expo at the Civic Center is still nearly a week away.
1984
1984: Snow clings tot he ties at William Street crossing.
1984
1984: Kevin Hardy, 13, seems to be doing all the work as brother Bryant, 6, and Renee Taylor, 10 supervise. They were shoeveilng steps and sidewalk Sunday for Fladys Anderson. The boys are sons of Geraldine Hardy, and Renee's mother is Joann Jackson.
1985
1985: Winds gusting to nearly 40 mph, coupled with intermittent snow flurries, sharply reduced visibility over much of Central Illinois on Monday. Thsi home, on Twin Lakes Road west of Decatur, is nearly obscured as the powdery snow is driven across the fields. The winds are expected to ease today, becoming southwest to south at 10 to 18 mph. High s are expected to be in the mid to upper 20s under mostly sunny skies. Not so cold tonight, with lows 20 to 25.
1987
1987: Guard Steve Sprague sweeps a walk in front of Soy Capital Bank, downtown Decatur.
1990
1990: In the aftermath of Sunday's 7 1/2-inch snowfall, beast and man alike could be found outdoros Monday enjoying the winter scenery. A rabbit, who appears to have had his head buried in the snow, looks up alertly along the Fitzgerald Road.
1981
1981: Jack Frost was up to his old tricks in Decatur Tuesday and Wednesday, using his brusehs to bedeck trees and bushes with crystalline caots befitting the holiday season. This solitary tree in Nelson Park sparkled in the bright sun on Wednesday, giving residents weary of snow and slush a chance to see a prettier side of winter. Joyce Kilmer's poem, by the way, goes on to say, "a poem lovely as a tree."
1987
1987: A Percheron, taking a drink from a country stream near Bethany, makes as pretty of a winter as can be imagined. The horse is one-half of a working team owned by Warren and Denny Ferguson, a feather and son from Bethany.
1982
1982: Area crews are ready to tackle streets in the shape that W. Center Stret was in last Feb. 1
1982
1982: Snow-clogged streets present a hazard for motorists and pedestrians.
1983
1983: Snow didn't hamper Nick Burton's jogging routine.
1987
1987: A lone Decatur pedestrian seems lost in a cloud as heavy snow hit Central Illinois.
1987
1987: A blanket of snow and the steel gray skies of mid-January add a somber cast to this lakeside study of Decatur. A sentinel of city industry, the A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. office building, stands on the right, adn the Ship's Gallery retographer aimed north across Lake Decatur.
1987
1987: Jim Roach crawls out of his snow dome.
1941
1941: This scene near the large pavilion in Fairview park was one of the most beautiful still remaining today from the season's first fall of snow Saturday night. The snow was so wet that, despite some thawing yesterday, many trees and shrubs were still heavily loaded this morning.
1927
1927: Nelson Park
1961
1961: Nature presents Christmas card scenes in city parks, but there was slush and ice elsewhere.
1980
1980: Central Park looks serene in the holiday snow.
Undated
1929
1929: Nelson Park. Lake Drive looking West.
1958
1958: This snow-covered bridge goes unused and the flowers that bloom in the spring in Nelson Park rock garden will have to wait another week and three days. Spring comes to Decatur March 21. Last night's snowfall shows that winter is jealously clinging to its allotted time.
1981
1981: This tranquil scene in Nelson Park gave little hint of the havoc the storm caused.
1951
1951: Winter wonderland in November describes this Nelson park snow scene. Heavy snows early this week completely blanketed the park. The rock garden railing on the left is all the distinguishes ther ock garden from the rest of the snow covered area.
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1950: This is the scene offered today at Decatur's Nelson park. The steps and trees near the entrance to the park's rock garden are all wrapped up in snow-along with everything else in Central Illinois.
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1947: Snow fell last night, covering Decatur with a blanket of white that was soon ground to slush in the heart of the city as the business peopel and the shoppers waded through it. But out in Fairview park it was still unsullied at noon.
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1939: The Stevens Creek addition to Fairview park this morning truly was a winter wonderland following last night's four-inch snowfall. Thsi view is typical. The snow, which was wet when it began to fall, clung heavily to the trees.
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1961: Fairview Park. Nature presents Christmas card scenes in city parks, but there was slush and ice elsewhere.
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1960: Roadway in Fairview Park.
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1947: A small stream winding through the snow-blanketed landscape is always in inspiration for the pictorial photographer in winter. Here, the cold sunlight brilliantly highlights the banks along partly-frozen Stevens creek in Fairview park, in sharp conrast to the shadows cast by overhanging trees. The photograph was taken Saturday morning, after the winter's worst storm had transformed the dull browns and grays into a land of snowy, icy, enchantment.
Contact Garrett Karsten at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @GarrettKarsten
Garrett Karsten
Reporter
