Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
Clearing the snow on roadways in town is a co-ordinated effort, from lining up staff to run equipment to alerting residents to move their vehicles in the areas being cleared.
鈥淥ur first goal when we鈥檙e doing this is to make sure things are safe for drivers and pedestrians,鈥� said John Greathead, director of operations with the Municipality of Jasper (MOJ).
鈥淔rom November to March, our focus is beating the weather and trying to stay ahead of the road conditions. We look at it as road maintenance. We鈥檙e geared up for snow removal.鈥�
Greathead said the town crew makes sure intersections and high-traffic areas - including Connaught Drive, Patricia Street and Miette Avenue - are cleared as soon as possible. Salting and sanding are part of the routine.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e out daily, working on that,鈥� Greathead said. 鈥淲e make sure we keep the walkability up on sidewalks and crosswalks.鈥�
Greathead explained that preempting the weather challenges presented by mother nature takes focus.
鈥淲e pay attention to the weather a lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we anticipate a significant snowfall or a change in the weather, we pre-wet the roads for easier removal of snow.鈥�
There are 12-to-14 workers involved in clearing the snow for a major snowstorm. After snow is plowed, crews use a snowblower to load it into dump trucks and it gets transported to the snow dump on Whistlers Road.
Greathead, along with communications officer Amanda Stevens, explained in email that this snow clearing equipment includes two municipality-operated graders, two trucks to sand/salt the roads, two trucks and a pup trailer for hauling. There鈥檚 also a snowblower used that can move 3,500 tonnes per hour.
鈥淚t can move more snow, more quickly, than we could possibly provide trucks for,鈥� Greathead said.
Greathead and Stevens added, 鈥淎dditionally we have our grounds crew which look after cleaning municipal-operated sidewalks, specific Parks properties (under an agreement with Parks Canada), using many pieces of equipment including two tractors with sweeping attachments, a skid steer, a Toolcat and numerous shovels.鈥�
A couple of factors have led to cost savings for the municipality. Staff have been busier this year because a bulk of the work is being done in-house as opposed to contracting out trucks to haul snow away, and that has saved the municipality 鈥渁 lot of money.鈥�
鈥淲e expect to see a significantly lower cost for this season once we finalize all the costs in the spring due to the lighter than normal snowfall this season so far as well as performing most of the work in-house as opposed to contracting out,鈥� Greathead and Stevens said. 鈥淲e usually spend more than $220k per winter season.鈥�
When an area is scheduled to be worked on, signage is placed on the streets at least 24 hours in advance and sometimes a few days before, when it鈥檚 possible.
鈥淚f you see signage in your neighbourhood, it means the entire street will be plowed,鈥� they said. 鈥淲henever possible, it鈥檚 best to remove your vehicle from the street the night before, as snow removal operations may start in the early hours of the morning.鈥�
If signage was placed on the street less than 24 hours in advance, no tickets can be issued. Residents are expected to move their vehicles until the snow removal is complete.
鈥淲e aim for compliance first but tickets ($65) can be issued if vehicles are not removed and signage was placed within the prescribed timeline,鈥� Greathead and Stevens said.
Residents and business owners are responsible for clearing the ice and snow on the sidewalk in front of their properties. Any accumulation of snow in excess of two centimetres has to be removed within 24 hours. Compliance is encouraged but if it comes down to it, a $100 fine may be issued.
鈥淛asper is very pedestrian-friendly and people of all walks of life, from young parents with strollers to school-aged kids to seniors, use the sidewalk,鈥� Greathead and Stevens said. 鈥淚t is important that everyone do their share to keep our sidewalks safe and clear of snow and ice for everyone to use.鈥�
