Loading...
91-075 RES Passed and adopted by the City Council of this 16th day of December, 1991. City of Elk River 7~'~~ ames A. Tralle, Mayor . RESOLUTION 91-~ RESOLUTION FOR THE CITY OF ELK RIVER A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 1991~92CITY OF ELK RIVER SNOW AND ICE CONTROL POLICY WHEREAS, the City of Elk River has in previous years followed an informal snow and ice control policy; and, WHEREAS, the snow and ice control policy for the City of Elk River has improved and expanded to the point where the policy and procedures need to be documented; and, WHEREAS, the Elk River City Council formally adopted the City Snow and Ice Control Policy on 1/7/91 and plan to annually review and adopt the policy; and, WHEREAS, the Elk River City Council has reviewed the City of Elk River snow and ice control policy most recently in December, 1991. . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Elk River that the City Snow and Ice Control POlicy dated 12/13/91 is hereby adopted and approved as the appropriate City procedures for snow and ice control. ATTEST: Sandra A. a~ . REVISED 12/13/91 . SNOW AND ICE CONTROL POLICY SNOW PLOWING Guidelines for Commencement of Operations Snow plowing and/or ice control operations will be initiated by the Street Superintendent or his designated representative. Operations will begin when two or more inches of snow has fallen. 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 becomes 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 Plowinq Priorities Each of the five truck plowing areas has a priority route that is plowed first (see map Attachment "At!) followed by a residential route. Sand and salt are applied while plowing and after plowing is completed. . Sidewalks Sidewalks on the unmotorized pathway system are plowed concurrentlY with the street plowing (see map Attachment "B") using City equipment. Sidewalks that. are not plowed by the City must be cleared by the property owners. 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 of the 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. Snow Removal The downtown area and several other locations must have the snow loaded and trucked away because of lack of snow storage (see map Attachment "C"). The snow removal is normally accomplished within 24 hours of the completion of snow plowing operations. . Ice Control & Salt/Sand Application First Priority - Priority routes, high volume intersections, hills, curves, and railroad tracks. Second Priority intersections. Stop intersections, moderate volume . Third Priority - Residential intersections. Elk River, like most communities, does not have the equipment or resources to sand all streets end to end. 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. Sod Damage Sod damage by City plowing equipment will be repaired using one of the 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 Sprinkler Damage 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. Special Note It is unlawful for anyone to deposit snow on a public right-of-way per Minnesota Highway Traffic Regulations 160.27 Sub (5): Misdemeanors: It shall be unlawful to obstruct any public street or highway or to deposit snow or ice thereon; and, 169.42 Sub (1): . Litterinq: No person shall throw, deposit, place or dump upon any street or highway any snow, ice, etc. . . . SNOW PLOWING OPERATION PROCEDURE 1991-92 Season As a growing City, we have to make the best use of the resources that we have available to provide the best service possible for the residents of the City. This means that the Street Department personnel will be assisted by members of two other departments to help with snow removal on a regular basis. We expect that a common goal and a spirit of cooperation will be shared by the snow removal team. The Street Department will furnish six operators for the five truck routes and one loader route; the Sewer Department will furnish one operator for the sidewalk route and one operator for the after hours sanding calls; the Building and Zoning Department will furnish one operator for the ski trail groomer to be operated concurrently with snow removal operations. Each operator has a priority route to plow first, followed by the designated residential area. Route 1 Priority Routes 197th to Tyler, Tyler from County Road 13 to County Road 33 Residential Route Rural area east of Highway 169 Route 2 Priority Route School Street, Dodge Avenue, Freeport, East Main Street Residential Route Area east of Jackson, South of 193rd and west of Twin Lakes Road, north of 181st. Route 3 Priority Route West Main Street, Proctor Avenue, Orono Road Residential Route Residential area south of Highway 10 and west of Jackson. . Route 4 Priority Route West School Street, North Jackson, Highland Road Residential Route Area north of Highway 10, west of Jackson, east of County Road 1. Route 5 Priority Route Industrial Park, Jackson Avenue south of School Street Residential Route Area north of Highway 10, west of County Road 1. Route 6 (loader) Priority Route Fire Hall, City Hall/Police Station and Nursing Home Residential Route Eleven parking lots, two alleys and fifteen cul-de-sacs. . Route 7(sidewalk) Designated nonmotorized pathways, one hockey rink and one skating rink. The "early shift", where two men start work at 6:00 a.m. each working days, will start December 9, 1991, and continue until March 27, 1992, with the men starting early on a rotating schedule. It will be the responsibility of the early shift to check the priority routes, City Hall, the Fire Station, the downtown parking lots and with the Police Officer on duty for areas that may require sanding. The two persons scheduled for the early start on Monday will be responsible for the department call outs on the preceding weekend. That means that they will be responsible for taking the pagers home with them on Friday evening and responding to emergency requests throughout the weekend. Normal plowing operations will be set up by the Street Superintendent or his designee. Start times will vary . according to the depth of the snow and the severity of the storm. Each operator will be responsible for his assigned route. As routes are completed, equipment will be assigned to . help finish other routes. With an "average" snowfall of 4" to 6", it is our goal to have all streets and cul-de-sacs plowed in 8 to 12 hours. Sand/salt will be applied during and immediately following plowing operations with special attention given to priority routes, high volume intersections, hills, curves and railroad crossings. We do not have the resources to sand every street curb to curb, end to end so drivers must exercise caution during the winter season. In the early morning hours of the day following our plowing operation, the snow is hauled from the downtown area and several locations where nonmotorized pathways are 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 the snow away. The downtown clean up will be scheduled by the Street Superintendent or his designee and will be coordinated with the contractor in charge of cleaning the downtown sidewalks. Nonmotorized Pathways . The sidewalks that are designated as nonmotorized pathways will be plowed at the same time as the street plowing. A member of the Sewer Department will operate the sidewalk snowblower. When the pathway system has been plowed, the snowblower will then clear the skating and hockey rinks in Lion's Park. . . The "callout" procedure for after hours shall be as follows: 1. A citizen calls the Sheriff's Office complaining of a slippery street. 2. The Sheriff's dispatcher takes the person's name and phone number and then notifies the police officer on duty. 3. The police officer on duty makes a visual inspection of the area in question in a timely manner (not emergency). 4. If the police officer feels that salt/sand is needed for the safety of the motoring public the officer will have the Sheriff's dispatcher page the Street Department person who is on call. 5. The "on call" person will then respond with salt/sand to the area in question. To minimize damage to mailboxes, plowing speeds should not exceed 20 m.p.h. The City is responsible to repair or replace mailboxes that are damaged by ACTUAL CONTACT with our equipment. Operators are not allowed to pull, push or jump start private vehicles with City equipment. You may offer sand, use of shovels, or call for help on the two-way radio. . Each operator is responsible for the daily maintenance checks of the vehicle he is operating. These checks include engine oil level, radiator level, fuel, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brakes, lights and tires. Plows, wings and sanders should be checked after every use. Salt/sand should be dumped and trucks and boxes washed after sanding operations are completed. Fuel tanks should be at lease 75% full when trucks are parked. Keep equipment clean inside and out. When Plowing DO *Obey traffic laws *Exercise care at intersections especially when plowing or sanding *Respect curbs, do not let wings ride on top of the curb *Report any damage to the Street Superintendent (mailboxes, signs, shrubs, fences, equipment, etc.) When Plowing/Sanding DO NOT *Intentionally push or dump snow in driveways . *Dump snow on fire hydrants SIDEWALKS . ' ,....... ...::.;.' -:'::~.::,::.:> . . ..... :: ~: ......... ,.-. . .. /':.::: . . . . .0. . ." ":':";:.' ..../ . . ..z"..... . ~ "l .,.... . ,. . . .,' . . ( .. /., ,,' \,. ~." ATTACHMENT C HAULING . .:"'. '~/ ,"" . , , . .; .....: . ........ .. '. " . . , . . . . . ":.00 .... ....:. . *Push or dump snow against fences *Push or dump snow on shrubs *Push snow back on boulevards at intersections (this can cause visibility problems) *Drive on lawns IN CASE OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT *Notify Police *Call the Street Superintendent *Remain at the. scene to be of assistance until you are released by the police or your supervisor . .