Snow and Ice Removal
The City has four trucks with snow plow blades and salt/sand spreaders, two trucks with snow plow blades, plus numerous small tractors with scrape blades. Every year in October we begin preparing for winter weather by inventorying all abrasive materials and salt, training the operators of equipment and checking the maintenance of the equipment.
The City is divided into five zones. Operators are assigned zones with maps of those areas showing which streets to maintain. Priorities for snow/ice removal include: streets around emergency facilities (Pardee Hospital, Emergency Medical Services, law enforcement), major connecting streets, minor connecting streets, and then residential streets. Weather conditions determine how we approach our maintenance plan. For example, if a snow or ice storm is predicted with no rain we can apply brine to the streets to help us keep the snow/ice pushed off of the road. If rain is predicted, we do not apply brine because the rain will wash the brine off of the road. We apply salt/sand as the conditions warrant salt/sand, such as light snows, at the end of a heavy snow event, and icy conditions. If you apply salt/sand before the snow is predicted to end, you will push the material off of the road with the snow plow. The City also pushes snow off of the sidewalks and city parking lots in the Downtown MSD using small tractors however residents and businesses are still required to apply salt or ice melt to icy sidewalks. Outside of the Downtown MSD, residents and businesses are required to keep the sidewalks free from obstructions including snow.
We ask residents and businesses to not park vehicles on the street if a snowstorm is predicted. Cars and trucks that are parked on the street greatly inhibit and sometimes prevent our ability to push snow off of the street.
City crews rely on the Police Department to notify them of dangerous or icy conditions in most situations. Conditions are surveyed to determine the appropriate response. Periodic updates of snow removal activities will be provided on this website.
Snow Removal Zones Map [PDF]
Zone 1 [PDF]
Zone 2 [PDF]
Zone 3 [PDF]
Zone 4 [PDF]
Zone 5 [PDF]