Post by Poor Richard on Nov 16, 2022 11:26:26 GMT -7
Livingston - To plow or not to plow?
The Livingston Enterprise reports:
"For residents who are asking, “Why hasn’t the city plowed my street? When are they going to plow downtown?” there are answers, according to Shannon Holmes, Livingston’s Public Works director.
Winter has come early this year. With unusually low temperatures for November and a rather large snowstorm less than two weeks ago, combined with no rise in temperatures to cause what’s known to the city road department as a “melting event,” the snow is sticking around. It is a bit of a tug of war between the desire to have the roads free of snow and the hassle of digging out one’s car and driveway from potential berms caused by plowing.
Factors road crews consider as they decide whether, when and where to plow: There are 70 miles of road and alleys in Livingston, a seasonal variation of climate and temperature which fluctuates. Add to that the variable of heavy winds, which cause large drifts primarily on the Northwest areas such as the Northern Lights addition and Montana Street, above downtown.
“We have the equipment to plow all of the roads. That is not the issue,” said Holmes. “The streets downtown — especially south of Park Street — are quite narrow, and with the volume of cars parking on the road, we just have nowhere to plow the snow. We would be blocking every parked car in, and that would be quite a few. It would be equally unsafe for pedestrians if we blocked the sidewalks and crosswalks by pushing the snow into the intersections.”
The department stays in regular contact with law enforcement and local fire departments, including Park County Rural Fire District #1, to ensure residents’ homes are accessible for emergency vehicles. It is the department’s top priority to plow intersections and driveways around the local schools.
The northwest areas of town do get more attention with the snow plow than the streets south of Park Street, but some of the roads coming down the hill are quite steep and require this extra attention in order to keep residents safe. Additionally, roads on the north side of town are typically wider, leaving city snow plows room to pile snow off to the side without creating an additional hazard or blocking vehicles in.
“If there were to be a large amount of snowfall, we do a good job of keeping downtown accessible, and so during these events (our snow removal team) will work all night to remove, load and haul large amounts of snow from downtown over to the civic center. This is a lot when you at a 16-block area; it’s not really that feasible to do this for every storm,” Holmes said.
“Our road department works very hard,” said Holmes. “They work long hours, get called out at all hours of night. If you do see a plow, yield and take extra caution by going the speed limit or less. Please give us plenty of room to do our work and be respectful because our job is to make our streets safer.
“If the overall feel of Livingston is that the level of service within Public Works’ Road Department is not adequate, then we need to know in order to meet the public’s desires. This would likely mean an increase in staffing, funding and equipment. If that’s what the community desires, that is our job, however it does come at a cost.”
Residents with significant challenges in accessing their homes should call the Livingston Public Works Department to submit a complaint at (406) 222-5667. Additionally, if a resident seeks a permanent change to policy or methods, the city commission meetings are typically held weekly on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the City/County building located downtown at 414 E. Callender St."
"For residents who are asking, “Why hasn’t the city plowed my street? When are they going to plow downtown?” there are answers, according to Shannon Holmes, Livingston’s Public Works director.
Winter has come early this year. With unusually low temperatures for November and a rather large snowstorm less than two weeks ago, combined with no rise in temperatures to cause what’s known to the city road department as a “melting event,” the snow is sticking around. It is a bit of a tug of war between the desire to have the roads free of snow and the hassle of digging out one’s car and driveway from potential berms caused by plowing.
Factors road crews consider as they decide whether, when and where to plow: There are 70 miles of road and alleys in Livingston, a seasonal variation of climate and temperature which fluctuates. Add to that the variable of heavy winds, which cause large drifts primarily on the Northwest areas such as the Northern Lights addition and Montana Street, above downtown.
“We have the equipment to plow all of the roads. That is not the issue,” said Holmes. “The streets downtown — especially south of Park Street — are quite narrow, and with the volume of cars parking on the road, we just have nowhere to plow the snow. We would be blocking every parked car in, and that would be quite a few. It would be equally unsafe for pedestrians if we blocked the sidewalks and crosswalks by pushing the snow into the intersections.”
The department stays in regular contact with law enforcement and local fire departments, including Park County Rural Fire District #1, to ensure residents’ homes are accessible for emergency vehicles. It is the department’s top priority to plow intersections and driveways around the local schools.
The northwest areas of town do get more attention with the snow plow than the streets south of Park Street, but some of the roads coming down the hill are quite steep and require this extra attention in order to keep residents safe. Additionally, roads on the north side of town are typically wider, leaving city snow plows room to pile snow off to the side without creating an additional hazard or blocking vehicles in.
“If there were to be a large amount of snowfall, we do a good job of keeping downtown accessible, and so during these events (our snow removal team) will work all night to remove, load and haul large amounts of snow from downtown over to the civic center. This is a lot when you at a 16-block area; it’s not really that feasible to do this for every storm,” Holmes said.
“Our road department works very hard,” said Holmes. “They work long hours, get called out at all hours of night. If you do see a plow, yield and take extra caution by going the speed limit or less. Please give us plenty of room to do our work and be respectful because our job is to make our streets safer.
“If the overall feel of Livingston is that the level of service within Public Works’ Road Department is not adequate, then we need to know in order to meet the public’s desires. This would likely mean an increase in staffing, funding and equipment. If that’s what the community desires, that is our job, however it does come at a cost.”
Residents with significant challenges in accessing their homes should call the Livingston Public Works Department to submit a complaint at (406) 222-5667. Additionally, if a resident seeks a permanent change to policy or methods, the city commission meetings are typically held weekly on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the City/County building located downtown at 414 E. Callender St."