Duane Hicks
With councillors continuing to get pelted with questions about snow removal, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown said the town is doing its best, following winter control policy, and even stepping up efforts this week to move more of the white stuff.
“We have had 10 events in November and December, and that’s unusual,” Brown noted at Monday night’s regular council meeting.
“We don’t usually get them [back-to-back],” he added. “We usually get a break in the events where we haul more snow so the intersections aren’t as bad.
“This year is different—we’re getting too much snow,” he stressed.
“This is a little more snow than we’re used to,” Brown later added. “I think people have got to have some patience.
“You can’t have it like the USS Enterprise—‘Beam me up, Scotty,’ and all the snow is gone.
“It takes time and energy, and we are spending money,” he noted.
In 2010, the town had 15 events—two in January, three in February, none in March, four in November, and six in December.
In 2009, there were 17 events—three in January, four in February, four in March, zero in November, and six in December.
In the last four years, the town has seen an average of 16 events per year (with events being defined as a snowstorm where 7.5 cm or more has fallen (three-plus inches).
Brown explained the town has a winter control policy, which prioritizes where crews plow first, and this is what Public Works has been following.
After a snow event, the first priority is to remove the snow from the roads. Then they start clearing snowbanks in accordance with the winter control policy (the policy is available on the town’s website at www.fort-frances.com)
But Brown said the town is increasing efforts to get rid of the snowbanks that have accumulated—renting five contractors’ trucks for a 10-day period (which started Sunday) to step things up.
“We don’t know if there’s going to be a lull in February or March, but we’ve got to get the snow off the intersections,” he remarked.
“We know there’s safety hazards out there. We know that we have to react.
“But . . . there’s no regulation that we’re not meeting,” stressed Brown. “We’re doing it to the best of our ability in the most cost-effective manner for the community.
“That’s what the policy does.”
The 10-day snow-hauling effort will cost the town an extra $24,000.
“We, as an administration, realize this is a trying time for people,” conceded Brown. “We’re going to prioritize our roads over the next 10 days.
“We started on Armit,” he noted. “We’ll work on Scott Street from Armit to Colonization Road East. Then we’re going to come up Second Street, from Colonization Road through Central Avenue.
“Then we’re going to do Portage from Second to Eighth. Then we’re going to do Keating from King’s Highway to Second Street.”
Town crews then will continue on Third Street West from York Avenue to Keating Avenue, then Frenette Avenue from Second Street East to Sixth Street East.
“We think we can get this done before all the 10 days are up,” said Brown, who asked residents along these roadways to refrain from parking on the street.
He also requested that residents do not ask the town to plow their driveways, or ask councillors to ask the town, because town crews aren’t supposed to.
Coun. John Albanese, meanwhile, gave “big kudos” to Public Works for its snow removal work done in the downtown area over the holidays.
“If somebody’s complaining, it’s because they don’t know how hard you guys have been working the last three-four weeks,” he remarked.
“If anybody complains about it, tell them to go elsewhere to find out if they did a better job than we did.”
Providing some background information on snow removal services, Brown said the town has 16 crew members (i.e., labourers, equipment operators, and truck drivers) plus two sewer and water operators that can be called on if someone gets sick.
They also have three mechanics and two parts people.
The town has eight pieces of equipment—two graders, two loaders (one with a huge snowblower attachment), one sander, one combination unit (plow truck/sander), one small backhoe, and one sidewalk machine), which all are running if there’s a snowstorm.
Brown said there is a dedicated night crew which has been working since Nov. 23. These five crew members have been hauling snow or removing snow five nights a week (Sunday through Thursday) from 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
Brown added Fort Frances has 161 lane kilometres, with the town having spent $2,913 per lane kilometre to keep them clear in 2009.
The town also has 44 km of sidewalks, which cost the town $891.74 per km to keep clear in 2009.
In 2009, the town spent $479,819 on snow removal. For 2010, it budgeted $519,839.
As of the end of November, 2009, the town spent $321,337 of that.
For 2011, the town has budgeted $545,507.
