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Police Reports: Jan. 11, 2015

At the Jan. 13 board of trustees meeting, Homewood Public Works Director John Schaefer was getting high praise from trustees for his department’s excellent work removing snow from the streets.

A Homewood Public Works 
truck plows snow Feb. 2. 

(Photo by Eric Crump/The
Chronicle)

This week has been rougher for Schaefer and his team after snow removal ran into some problems during and after the historic storm Sunday.

Schaefer said things went well overall, and he pointed out that in spite of battling nearly a foot-and-a-half of wet snow, his crews kept village streets passable.

“At no time were streets blocked off. Essential services were maintained,” he said. “Side streets were slippery, but you just have to be a little cautious.”

He acknowledged that the results were not what Homewood residents have come to expect.

The removal of snow was not the main problem, though. Ice buildup following the storm created more problems than the snow had and left some residents grumbling.

Two problems contributed to the situation, Schaefer said. One was a matter of timing in salt distribution. Salt, when it works right, helps prevent snow from adhering to the pavement, aiding removal and helping prevent ice build-up, he said. And while salt was spread during the storm, it wasn’t as effective as usual.

“It’s a timing issue. We could have salted a little longer,” Schaefer said. “Once ice builds up, you’re not going to get it off until you get enough sun.”

A contributing factor there is the dramatic increase in the price of salt this year. Schaefer said his department spent $50 per ton on salt last year, and this year it cost more than $130 per ton. 

Equipment breakdowns also contributed to the problem. Two of the department’s big salt-spreading trucks were out of commission for part of the snow event. 

It took two days to get parts for one truck. The other was repaired more quickly. 

That meant putting smaller trucks without salt-spreading capabilities on the routes disabled trucks would have been on.

Schaefer said he is aware that many residents were disappointed with the condition of streets early this week. 

“We stubbed our toe on this one,” Schaefer said. 

But he said his department has a history of great snow removal performance, and he is confident it will return to form the next time the flakes begin to fly.

 

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