2021/02/22 - Mayor's Column: Thanks For Stepping Up!
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
Sometimes we all can get complacent and only find fault. Since last week was also Kindness Week, I would like to aim this article at saying THANK YOU to everyone that stepped up to help during last week’s heavy and drifting snow fall.
By the time you read this we will have moved past the freezing temperatures which we had for almost two straight weeks and much of the snow will be gone.
I want to thank our Public Works Staff for their 72+ consecutive hours caring for our 170+ miles of roads. On a side note, the 170+ miles of roadways that O’Fallon maintains is more than Fairview Heights, Lebanon and Shiloh combined. Thank you to those that worked behind the scenes to keep the trucks on the streets and moving!
Thank you to our Public Safety Staff for being ready and helpful for citizens regardless of the weather. And thank you to the Parks & Recreation Staff for keeping the City’s critical infrastructure accessible.
I also want tp thank the Public Works management team and Public Safety management team for working together so nicely. You see the Public Works Staff tries to contemplate what is the best way to keep our roads safe while plowing.
Snow and ice removal is always a complicated equation that is constantly changing depending on the amount of snowfall and temperatures. Some of the questions we have to ask ourselves include:
- How long do we work on the major snow routes (all 70+ miles of them) which impact almost everyone before I start on all the other roadways?
- Are we able to lower the snow blades without causing damage to the trucks and streets?
- Will the super low temperatures cause the recently treated snow to refreeze and cause ice on the road?
They make these decisions by staying in touch with the Weather Bureau, our crews on the streets, the State Police, State Highway Department, and our own Public Safety Staff as to whether are not we are having a rash of accidents. We also check with bus companies to talk about bus routes and if busses are having problems navigating the roads.
With all these factors going on it is easy to miss a few roads, especially when the snow continues to fall. I believe we missed ten roads through the two weeks of winter weather. But, as soon as we were notified about them, we made every effort to treat them as soon as possible.
I also want to thank the citizens and businesses that said thank you in so many ways to the staff as they plowed and patrolled the streets. And thank you to the businesses that helped clean driveways and citizens that reached out to help their neighbors and checked on neighbors to see that they were ok. This included many children that went out to clean neighbors’ driveways just to help and not for pay (two of these were my granddaughters).
As we wrap up this weather there are two things I would like to ask:
- Drivers - please slow down and take extra precautions when entering intersections. I personally saw some very close calls at intersections.
- With schools being open, can we all please try to clean the sidewalks so our children can use them going and coming from school vs walking in the streets. YOUR ASSISTANCE IS APPRECIATED BY EVERY PARENT and ME.
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!