2019/01/22 - Mayor's Column: Snow, the Good and the Bad
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
Winter weather brings the good and the bad. As a family man, I enjoy watching my grandchildren play in the snow, sledding, and building snowmen. But, as Mayor, winter weather means mobilization of the City’s ice and snow removal team. Over the past few weeks, we have been hit with significant snowfall, O’Fallon’s dedicated staff worked hard to keep our roads safe.
Snow removal takes great preparation and strategy. Snow removal is not easy….and it is not cheap!
The snowfall event on January 11-13, 2019 brought nearly 10 inches of snow in some spots. The City of O’Fallon began pre-treatment of the roadways on January 10th, and once snowfall accumulation exceeded 2 inches, we dropped the plows and began pushing snow off the roadways. The City’s policy is to begin plowing only after snowfall accumulation exceeds 2 inches because of damage that plowing less than that amount can cause to the vehicles, plow blades and roads.
O’Fallon City Staff worked throughout the weekend on over 160 miles of City-maintained roads. When the weather subsided and we no longer needed to plow around the clock, our staff got a little break…until they had to come back in and start over on Monday morning!
To keep the roads clean throughout the snowfall, it took 462 overtime hours and 210 tons of salt. If you add in FEMA’s schedule of equipment rates (impact on equipment and maintenance) the grand total, including labor, salt, and equipment, was $81,306.
As you can see, winter weather has a large impact on local governments. We try our very best to keep the roadways safe and passible. Our plows may not get to you immediately, but be assured, we are working hard. Please keep this in mind the next time snow is forecasted.
I want to thank all the neighbors and others who helped those that needed some help with personal driveways and sidewalks.
If you want to see some pictures of my ride-along during the snowfall event, please go to my Facebook Page. It was an educational experience for sure. The greatest takeaway that I received was how difficult it is to plow when there are obstructions in the roadway and drivers that dodge in and out around the trucks. So, here is my request: Please help our crews out by removing vehicles and other obstructions (basketball hoops, trashcans, etc.) from the roadways and be careful when driving near the plows, so that our plows can efficiently, safely and effectively remove the snow.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!