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5.4. SR 10-04-2004 Item# 5.4. MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Phil Hals, Street Superintendent DATE: October 4, 2004 SUBJECT: Snow Plowing Policy Each fall the City Council is asked to review and adopt the City's snow plowing policy. Last year, the following changes were made to the operating procedure and they seemed to work well. Staff recommends that they be continued for the 2004-05 plowing season: y Cul-de-sacs will be circled the fIrst day and plowed completely on the second day. y Snow hauling from the downtown will be done in early morning hours of the third day following a snowfall. Y Sidewalk plowing will be done with one machine and the route will be prioritized into fIrst day, second day and third day areas. The separation of the Street and Park Department will not cause major change for this coming winter. Four Park Department employees will assist with snow plowing. One employee will be used for plowing trails and bituminous pathways, one for sidewalks and two will have a regular truck plow route. One change Staff anticipates is that Park Department employees would be used for snow hauling or second day cleanup only in emergency situations. Recommendation: Staff recommends that Council adopt the snow plowing policy dated September 29, 2004. Item# 5.4. MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Phil Hals, Street Superintendent DATE: October 4,2004 SUBJECT: level of Service - Snow Plowing Staff has been approached regarding plowing sequence and completion time. Council input on tbese two issues would be helpful for Staff. Everyone knows tbat each snowfall has a different start time, duration, intensity and accumulated volume, so when setting a policy, we speak in general terms. Alternating Individual Route Sequences: In years past each residential route was plowed in tbe same sequence, with tbe idea being to plow past tbe most homes in tbe least amount of time. This year we have spent a good deal of time considering alternatives to tbe old system and offer tbese two options: >- Option #1: A complete reversal of each route, or last to first on an alternating basis. Staff feels tbis would not work well, since alinost every route finishes on the most remote roads tbat have only 3 - 10 homes per mile. >- Option #2: Setting up an "A" route and a "B" route for each truck. This would offer 2 different starting points on an alternating basis. On about half of tbe routes this would work, however, on otbers we have to consider school traffic, hills, plow truck travel time and additional snow compaction in more densely populated areas. A down side to eitber option is public perception and when do residents expect to be plowed out. However, Staff would welcome Council input, since no plowing schedule is going to satisfy everyone. Recommendation: Staff recommendation is to retain tbe past practice of same sequence of plowing. Memorandum - October 4, 2004 Page 2 Plow Route Completion: Except for very unusual conditions, plowing operations will start at 3:00 a.m. With the addition of one more snow plow driver, a 4" to 6" snowfall will take about 10 hours to complete. Each plow starts on a designated priority route for about 2 hours and then moves on to their assigned residential routes for approximately 7 hours. The last hour or so is used to touch up the priorities and other problem areas. This leaves us with a 9 to 10 hour completion for street plowing. Most of the cul-de-sacs are plowed on the day following the storm. As a comparison, the attached chart was printed in the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper on January 12,2003: CITY MilesPerVehicle St. Paul 8.3 Apple Vallev 9.2 Lakeville 12.5 Minneapolis 12.5 Burnsville 13.2 Rosernount 13.8 "Elk River 15.8 EaQan 17.6 *Includes new ernployee - 9 routes @ 15.79 miles/truck Elk River plows: 142 miles of streets 194 cul-de-sacs 43 dead ends Recommendation: As you can see, adding another truck route will reduce the completion time by about one hour. If the present level of service is acceptable, then when 15 miles of new streets have been accepted for city maintenance, Staff recommends that plans should be made to add an additional truck route. REVISED 9/29/04 SNOW AND ICE CONTROL POLICY OTJeninf! Statement Snow and ice are natural occurring elements in Elk River and this policy is a guideline as to how the City of Elk River deals with these natural element within the constraints created by funding, equipment, and personnel. SNOW PLOWING ResTJonsibilitv The Street Department monitors the street conditions to determine the timing and amount of equipment and personnel necessary to clear the streets. The Street Superintendent or his designee has the responsibility of determining plow routes and sequencing of operations in accordance with priorities as established by this policy. The Superintendent shall retain the latitude to adjust sequencing or route assignments based on storm conditions, equipment availability, and/or conditions warranting changes. Guidelines for Commencement of OTJerations Snow plowing and/or ice control operations will be initiated by the Street Superintendent or his designated representative. Operation will begin when two or more inches of snow has fallen or when ice conditions exist. Plowing will begin as close as practicable to the time when the snowfall ceases, however, every effort will be made to have all priority routes plowed by morning rush hour. For storms of an unusually long duration, priority routes will be plowed when accumulation become hazardous for driving. Based on different storm situations and severity levels, the starting times are flexible. During an extremely heavy snowfall, priority routes will be plowed and all residential routes will be plowed with at least one pass to allow emergency travel. Following the storm, all streets will be replowed and widened to allow normal vehicle usage. Street Plowinll Priorities The City has classified city streets based on the street function, traffic volume, and importance to the welfare ofthe community. Those streets classified as "Priority Plow Routes" will be plowed first. These are high volume routes, which provide access for emergency fire, police, and medical services, and streets that access schools and commercial businesses. Each of the nine truck plows has a priority route. The second priority streets are low volume residential streets, alleys and city parking lots. The third priority areas are cul-de-sacs. Work Schedule for Snowvlow Overators Snowplow operators will be expected to work ten-hour shifts. In severe snow emergencies, operators sometimes have to work in excess often-hour shifts. However, because of budget and safety concerns, no operators should work more than a twelve-hour shift in any twenty-four hour period. Operators will take a fifteen-minute break every two hours with a half-hour meal break after four hours. After a twelve-hour day, the operators will be replaced if additional qualified personnel are available. Weather Conditions Mav Cause Susvension of Overations Snow and ice control operations will be conducted only when weather conditions do not endanger the safety of city employees and equipment. Factors that may delay snow and ice control operations include; severe cold, significant winds, and limited visibility. Any decision to suspend operations shall be made by the Street Department Superintendent and shall be based on the conditions of the storm. The City will still provide access for emergency, fire, police, and medical services during a major snow or ice storm. Sidewalks Sidewalks on the City's non-motorized pathway system are plowed concurrently with the street plowing using City equipment. Sidewalks are cleared of snow, but the City cannot remove packed snow and ice build up. Sidewalks that are not on the City's non-motorized pathway system must be cleared by the property owners. B Cul-de-Sacs While some isolated cul-de-sacs are plowed immediately with the streets, most are just "circled" by the truck plow and plowed completely at a later time. When "circling", the truck makes one pass, usually in the clockwise rotation, leaving the bulk ofthe snow in the center of the cul-de-sac and opening all driveways. The cul-de-sac is plowed out completely by another machine at a later time, probably be the following day with other clean up plowing. Ice Rinks The Parks and City Recreation Department will also plow and sweep the ice rinks at Lion's Park and the Handke Pit. Ice Control & Sand/Salt Application The City will use sand, salt, and other chemicals when there are hazardous ice or slippery road conditions. The City is concerned about the effect of such chemicals on the environment and willlimi t its use for that reason. First Priority - Priority routes, high volume intersections, and railroad crossIngs. Second Priority - Stop intersections, moderate volume intersections. Third Priority - Residential intersections. Elk River, like most communities, does not have the equipment or resources to sand all streets end to end, and during extremely cold weather, chemicals are not responsive as ice melters. Drivers must use caution when operating a motor vehicle, especially during winter months. Roadside Mail Boxes The City shall not assume liability for mailboxes damaged during snowplowing operations unless the Street Department determines that a plowing unit has made direct contact with the box. Mailboxes that are damaged by contact with City equipment will be repaired by Street Department personnel as soon as possible after plowing operations are completed. C Snow HaulinfI In the early morning hours on the second day following our plowing operation, the snow is loaded and hauled from the dowtown area and several locations where there is not snow storage because the sidewalk is immediately behind the curb. This operation requires the motor grader to windrow the snow, the loader mounted snow blower to load it and four or more trucks to haul it away. Snow hauling will be scheduled by the street superintendent or his designee as soon as practical following the plowing operation. Scheduling may be affected by weather, labor and or equipment availability. Drivewavs One of the most irritating problems for residents is the snow deposited in driveways during plowing operations. The plow blade pushes the snow windrows to the right side of the street and also into driveways. The drivers make every attempt to minimize the amount of snow deposited in driveways, but the amount can still be significant. Based on staff, equipment, and the costs associated, City personnel do not provide driveway cleaning. Possible exceptions are at the discretion of the Supervisor for emergency situations. Sod DamafIe Sod damaged by City plowing equipment will be repaired using one of two procedures the following spring: 1. City Street Department will repair the damage using black dirt and seed. 2. The property owner may elect to do the repair work using commercial sod. The City will reimburse the property owner for the sod purchased, not the labor. Said reimbursement must be approved by the City prior to the property owner doing any corrective work or purchasing any sod. Lawn Svrinkler DamafIe The City will not be responsible for damage to any underground lawn sprinklers that are located on boulevards within the street right-of-way. It shall be the responsibility of the homeowner to protect such systems from damage or to relocate sprinkler heads within the homeowner's property lines. D Svecial Note It is unlawful for anyone to deposit snow on a public right-of-way per Minnesota Highway Traffic Regulations 160.27 Subd (5): Misdemeanors: It shall be unlawful to obstruct any public street or highway or to deposit any snow or ice thereon; and, 169.42 Subd (1): Littering: No person shall throw, deposit, place, or dump upon any street or highway any snow, ice, etc. Trash Containers Since trash is collected five days per week, one or more routes encounter trash containers while plowing. Plow operators will slow down and swerve around trash containers, but often times just the snow windrow will knock the container over. Routes that are plowed on trash pickup day will have to be re-plowed after other snow operations are completed to avoid frozen mounds of snow in the road. Residents are encouraged to leave their trash containers behind the curb line on trash pickup day because plow operators will not stop to move containers or set containers upright that have overturned. SNOWICEP.DOC E