Entries Tagged 'snow removal' ↓

Snowgates!

So let me get this straight . . .

We don’t want to take money from FEMA because they are the big bad Feds (who we actually pay taxes to, so we are essentially taking money from OURSELVES to fix a problem WE have).

Then we find out we don’t need to take the money because the city is in ‘fine financial shape’ so we pay for this branch cleanup out of the city coffers (also our money).

Factor in that the city has saved millions this winter due to the lack of snow and snow removal (somewhere around $7 million).

So why hasn’t the city been budgeting for tree trimming all along? We apparently have the money to do the ENTIRE city at one fast blast, why not section it off over a 5 year cycle?

Funny how the city conveniently ‘doesn’t have the money’ in a normal budget cycle, but when a natural disaster occurs we have all kinds of cashola, enough to give the FEDS a middle finger and to cleanup the whole kit and kaboodle.

My suggestion is to implement a program every year to trim the trees in the boulevard, because, you know, like, we have the money. Oh, yeah, and F’CK the Feds who wants their (our) money anyhoo?

Interlude
(after the ice storm of 2013)

Let us walk the asphalt sea
now that the ice is off the trees
and view the islands of debris.

Let us speak
of easier times,
of neighbors
and building a home
(not rebuilding).
Remember that owl sitting in the walnut
where the big branch used to be?

Come—
let us stroll and reminisce
and share the future’s hopeful kiss.

—Steve Boint (author of “Frail as Paper”)

Sell advertising on snowgates!

While this video may be of the extreme, I have often believed that the private contractors DO NOT want to deal with snowgates and that is the reason there is so much opposition to snowgates.

I listened to an attorney and a prominent doctor in town discuss the medical dangers of scooping snow out of the end of their driveways, tonight at work. They both confessed to me, ‘Snowgates’ are the way to go.

While I tried to make some time elapse image of snowgates in use, I think I got to ‘photoshoppy’. But, as for art, this turned out pretty cool.

I missed the first major snow event, as the storm was hitting Thursday night, I was sitting on the runway at the SF airport waiting for them to plow it so we could takeoff to Vegas. Sunny and 70 most of the weekend.

Had to chuckle though, I noticed one of the payloader plows at the SF airport has double snowgates on the front end loader. Good enough I guess for the airport just not for the citizens of Sioux Falls.

I have heard mixed reviews today about snowgates. A loyal DaCola reader is in the testing area this year, and his parents were last year. he shot video, but I have not had a chance to upload it yet. He did tell me though that they worked wonderful in his neighborhood but did notice they didn’t bother dropping them in intersections and by curb sidewalks (which would be a great use for them).

Snowgate advocate, Stehly went out with a friend to do some ‘snowgate’ watching. As she followed the operators she noticed they went very slow (under 5 mph) and sometimes would actually stop mid driveway, and only get half of the inlet. She also experienced one operator claiming the gate broke (brand new) and he literally sat in his snowplow for an hour just waiting for someone to show up and fix it, then decided to take a break. LOL.

Stehly noticed several times that the drivers were not maintaning a consistant speed, and seemed like they were not properly trained to run the snowgate or just did not care. This is unfortunate, because if the gates are to be tested properly, they have to be operated properly. I have often suspected some ‘mild’ sabotage going on.

Stehly called the head of the snowgate department at Henke Manufacturing and asked him about how they were operating the snowgates, he said, “The drivers should be able to maintain a consistant speed while operating the gates (around 20 MPH).” In other words they shouldn’t be stopping and starting up.

There has also been talk that the street department wants to test snowgates another year. Enough already, the election has already been postponed 16 months. Let’s vote on them already.

Sioux Falls code enforcement’s motto, “Do as we say, not as we do.”

Bumpy and icy neighborhood side streets have some people in Sioux Falls concerned about snow removal policies.

Erpenbach, “I want to hear from the public, unless it is about snowgates.”

In this episode of Inside Town Hall you can watch councilor Erpenbach talk out of both sides of her mouth about snowgates and indoor swimming pools.

During the first half of the show Michelle reminds us why we need another 16 months to educate ourselves about snowgates before an April 2014 election, that she ‘guarantees’ will happen.

Then in the second half of the show she talks about how she is ‘just one person’ that cannot possibly make the decision of building an indoor pool at Spellerberg without input from the public.

What a hypocrite. Over 8,000 people told you on a petition they WANTED a snowgate election this Spring. Then when over 30 of the snowgate petition volunteers showed up to a public meeting to tell you why this election was important, you limited their testimony, and as ONE PERSON took it upon yourself to deny the wishes of the people.

Michelle, you don’t give a rip about what the public thinks, about anything.

I was a little surprised when I heard that Huether held his last L & L session at First Lutheran church. Someone in attendance told me that Huether talked about snowgates, and he will be making a ‘surprise’ announcement in March about them. I am not going to make any predictions as to what that announcement may or may not be, but I have said that the mayor does want to take credit for implementing snowgates. God forbid a citizen advocate like Stehly, or the citizens voting for them get the credit for implementing them. As Stehly has said to me, she thinks it would be ‘fantastic’ if Huether implemented them before the 2014 vote, because the ultimate goal all along was to get snowgates. I do see two hiccups with Huether implementing them. First he will have to get a majority of the council on board, because they will have to vote on it, or at least approve the budget to purchase them. The other issue I have with it is that Huether and his directors will be writing the ordinance, instead of citizens. In other words, they will be able to use them when it is convenient for them, not for us.

I guess we will just have to wait until March to hear his BIG announcement. I am not holding my breath until then.

This isn’t the L & L session, but in this episode he teaches the kids how to shake hands;