snow removal

The snowgate issue is not going away

l3wis November 22, 2011 15Comments

I’ll have to give props to Callison from the Argue Endorser for writing a pro-snowgates column today;

More than 125 people attended last week’s meeting on snowgates.

As the allotted hour stretched to the 90-minute mark, when I called it quits, one thing quickly became clear: Sioux Falls residents who live in the test areas last year really love snowgates.

So much so that when Huber, the city’s street and utilities manager, broke the news that they would have to do without them this winter, people groaned in disappointment.

I whimpered a little myself.

Count me among those who love-love-love snowgates.

That’s because #1 they work (even better when they don’t use an inferior product) and #2 it is a service being provided to citizens, something we already pay dearly for. There are some drawbacks though;

The negative feedback mainly dealt with how narrow streets became after being cleared with the snowgates, he said.

Fair enough. But ALL streets get narrower, with or without snowgates, especially in central SF. I cut thru Pettigrew Heights almost everyday on my way to work, and those streets are narrow without snow. The other drawback is it will take longer to plow the city out. I can live with that, I have often said if we are going to plow the streets, do it right. Which of course brings it to costing more. Well duh. But if we have all kinds of money for monkey crappers and events centers, we certainly have a couple of million more a year for snowgates, which brings us to this comment;

Young with kid: I’m a fan of snowgates. There are very few things I would ever say charge me for, but I am willing to pay more for that. (After he finished speaking, someone called out, “I’d rather pay for snowgates than the events center.” That drew the biggest applause of the evening.)

To Hell with Build it Now, I say Plow it Now!

STORMLAND TV could find only one person in a crowd of 100 to talk in support of snowgates?

l3wis November 17, 2011 3Comments

(Image; KELO-TV screenshot)

Leave it to STORMLAND TV to cheerlead for spending millions on an entertainment center we don’t need but poo-poo something that would benefit all citizens;

If support here were measured in snowfall, there would be a mountain to move. Snow gates may not mean the end of their driveway woes, but more than a hundred people here think they’re a good start.

Okay, so 100 people showed up (see image above) but Stormy Bartnik could only find one single person to interview in support, then features an opponent who is opposed to snowgates because life should be as hard for everyone else as it was for him when he was four years-old?

“I grew up here since I was four years-old, and we’ve moved our own snow all the time,” Jeffcoat said.

Well good for you! Go get ’em Tiger! This is something that would benefit ALL residents, unlike an Events Center. I say full steam ahead! A South DaCola foot soldier made this comment to me tonight about the meeting attendence;

I just got back from the “Snow Gate” meeting with Galen Huber. Standing Room Only! I told Galen he had more people show up for the snow gates than Mike ever got for his EC Roadshow.

Tells you what the working man’s priorities are? Huh?

Vern ‘The Velvet Hammer’ Brown settles it; We have plenty of money for snowgates!

l3wis August 21, 2011 10Comments

No surprises here;

City officials are asking the Sioux Falls City Council for about $3 million more next year for snow removal and to accommodate higher fuel prices because money allotted for snow removal and street maintenance this year is running out.

And according to Vern, that is no big deal;

If the street department goes over budget, Brown said the money probably would come from the city’s reserves. “We’ve got healthy reserves to take care of those kinds of issues,” he said.

Thank You Vern for settling the debate. We have plenty of money not only to plow our streets, but to plow them properly by using snowgates. So the next time I hear you piss and moan about the expense of snow gates, I will just pull up this quote.

Snowgates get a high approval rating despite not being tested in a majority of SF neighborhoods

l3wis August 1, 2011 21Comments

Pretty amazing considering most residents have not experienced them in use;

More Sioux Falls residents are in favor of the city equipping its snowplows with snowgates than against it, but a high percentage also are undecided on the issue, according to a new poll.

By a margin of 39 percent to 33 percent, with 28 percent undecided, participants in an Argus Leader/KELO-TV poll this month said the city should use snowgates that prevent plows from heaping snow berms across driveways.

The 28 percent does not surprise me, like I said, most people have not seen them in use. But what I think is amazing is that 39 percent want them. I think the jury is out, and it is pretty clear. One more year of (FAIR) testing (USING PROPER EQUIPMENT AND NOT AN INFERIOR PRODUCT) and we are good to go. If the city council and mayor don’t implement this city wide by next year at this time, expect to see a ballot question on the November 2012 election about snowgates. We are getting them one way or another kids. We won’t let no stinking politicians or crabby newspaper publishers get in our way. Will we?

Inspired by Angry Guy’s hilarious comment on the AL forum today

l3wis June 28, 2011 21Comments

AngryGuy

8:11 AM on June 28, 2011

Maybe we could drop a cool million studying the impact of snow gates on each neighborhood in Sioux Falls. Plow It Downtown!