The City of Kimberley is gearing up for another winter and preparing for the inevitable snow with their annual Snow and Ice Management plan.
Council reviewed the plan at a regular meeting on Monday, December 9, 2019. Chief Administrative Officer Scott Sommerville explained that each year, the City’s Operations staff review and make incremental improvements to the plan.
“The operations desk logs complaints throughout the winter, and the City uses that information to adjust the plan with the goal of providing safer conditions for vehicles and pedestrians,” Sommerville explained.
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The plan covers all aspects of snow removal and management including routes, levels of service, procedures, driveways, parking lots, equipment and much more.
Sommerville says that the major change in the plan this year is that the City realized some of their snow-plowing practices were accelerating asphalt degradation.
“On some roadways the City was plowing closer to the edge of the road to avoid leaving windrows for residents,” Sommerville said. “This practice was forcing vehicles to drive on the vulnerable road edges, and increasing wear and tear on our roads.”
He adds that last year, the City conducted a trial utilizing three graders, which has now been incorporated into the plan.
“Now we await the snow,” said Sommerville.
With regards to routes, the City has two specific routes for snow removal, priority route and standard route.
As outlined in the plan, priority number one is hills and main thoroughfares, as well as collector and secondary thoroughfares, bridges and traffic routes to schools.
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Priority two is industrial and commercial streets, while priority three covers residential streets and lanes. The last priority is snow storage removal.
On the City’s website under Frequently Asked Questions about snow removal, the City explains that the main streets and hills are completed first.
“This ensures that traffic can access such facilities as the schools, special care facilities, the central business area and the ski hill area,” it reads.
The City wants to remind home owners and businesses that sidewalks adjacent to private property are the responsibility of the property owner. The City plows will also not clear private driveways.
Highways are the responsibility of MainRoad East Kootenay contractor, although the City does plow the main road through town into Marysville.
Questions or concerns regarding the snow removal and/or road conditions should be directed to the City’s operations department at 250.427.9660. General information, including the Snow and Ice Management Plan, can be found on the City’s website at www.kimberley.ca.
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