This week’s forecast of clear weather and temperatures reaching the 60s belies the volatile nature of winter weather, Dan Leslie warned Iola City Council members Monday night.
Leslie, Iola’s street and alley superintendent, spelled out how he and his crew of eight likely will respond to inclement weather.
City trucks usually aren’t dispatched if snow accumulations of less than 3 inches are expected, Leslie said, unless high winds affect visibility or cause unusual drifting.
The city treats roughly 74 of the city’s 132 laned miles during inclement weather, focusing first on U.S. 54 and State Street, Leslie said, as well as streets surrounding the courthouse square.
Other major thoroughfares, Lincoln, Kentucky and Cottonwood streets, as well as Miller Road and streets near the Russell Stover Candies plant have priority. The city also works closely with USD 257 to determine if streets near Iola’s five schools must be treated before school starts.
Leslie noted the city frequently fields calls from people in certain areas asking why their streets aren’t treated.
“We just don’t have the resources to do them all,” he told the council members. “We could expand our services, but I’m going to ask you for more money to do it.”
A FEW ASIDES:
Had the new Allen County Hospital been built and opened along North Kentucky Street already, city crews likely would not have been able to keep the route to the hospital clear during a pair of major storms in February. Both dumped more than 10 inches of snow.
“But last winter was one of the worst we’ve had in 30 years,” Leslie said.
Still, clearing North Kentucky Street can be problematic, Leslie said, because the street has no curbs and gutters, making it difficult to maintain a straight line if snow and winds are too fierce.
Leslie said he occasionally directs crews to push snow back farther onto some private property if the snow is unusually heavy, “but there’s an issue, because we don’t know what’s on the property,” such as gas or water meters, Leslie said. “Plus, the city tends to field a lot of calls if our trucks leave ruts in their yard.”
When the city treats icy roads, they use a mixture of calcium and chips. Some of the chips, Leslie noted, come from the city’s annual chip-seal treatments.
When street sweepers traverse Iola’s roads, the chips and rocks are put back into the ice melt piles.
“We’re essentially getting two uses for the same materials,” Leslie said.
The city should have sufficient supplies on hand in case snowy weather strikes this year, “but some of our stockpiles are getting low” Leslie said. “I don’t like having low supplies, because as a smaller community, it can be hard for us to get some of those materials.”
AT THEIR regular meeting Monday, council members voted 6-2 to authorize Rob Gill of Iola Insurance Associates to seek bids on property and casualty insurance on the city’s behalf.
