Snow removal

Snow removal through the end of the year was a much debated topic at our last commissioners meeting. We had a fairly detailed presentation from the Department of Transportation about snow removal, how the routes and roads are prioritized and the impact on the Fleet Department when we go to around the clock shifts during serious storms. With the Fleet Department having used its entire overtime budget during the snow storms in early 2007, the Department of Transportation may have to transfer some funds to keep our mechanics available and working whenever we have trucks out before and after normal business hours.

 Priority 1 roads are those roads with schools and fire stations as well as the major thoroughfares, priority 2 roads are the collectors, and priority 3 roads are the neighborhood streets. Most of the streets we live on are a priority 3, and given our location as the banana belt of the county, often the sunshine takes care of the neighborhood streets before the plows get to them. With a typical storm that dumps more snow on the north and east part of the county, we may see plows being redeployed to other areas of the county to open priority 1 and 2 roads before our priority 3 roads are plowed.

 While there was some discussion about waiting to clear the neighborhood streets during normal business hours after the priority 1 and 2 roads had be cleared, it was decided for the sake of public safety and emergency response to maintain current policy. We will try to keep your level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction the same as it has been in the past. The goal is not to remove all of the snow, but to have the roads passable and safe when drivers adjust for the adverse weather. If you find your street has been missed or possibly iced over after the trucks have completed their routes, contact me and we’ll see what we can do. My cell phone number is 351-2121 and email is dennishisey@elpasoco.com.

 Happy Thanksgiving and join me in hoping for significant snow in the mountains and limited snow on the plains the next few months.

CONTACT THE WRITER • HISEY4CD4@MSN.COM

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