Hammers lawn and seasonal care

About Hammers lawn and seasonal care

There's a sound particular to a Columbia ice storm — the crack of an ice-coated branch letting go somewhere down the block, the scrape of a shovel against a frozen step — and Hammers lawn and seasonal care crews are usually the ones making the second sound before the sun is fully up. Working the mix of ranch houses and rental duplexes that line the streets off the Business Loop, the crew breaks up the crust that forms when a warm afternoon refreezes overnight, clearing it down to pavement rather than leaving a slick skin behind. Seasonal care means the same trucks that spread mulch in April are out spreading salt in December, and that year-round familiarity with a property's low spots and shady corners pays off once the temperature drops. A cleared step and a salted walk in the dark hours before a shift starts is a small thing, but it's the thing a lot of Columbia mornings run on. By the time Business Loop traffic picks up, the driveways this crew has touched are already down to gravel and concrete.