Last night on Inside Stormland TV, Mayor Good Folks talked about snowgates (still waiting for video link to story). He expressed that maybe people will like them more then expected and seemed a bit cautious.
“I can tell you this, they do work, folks, they really do. But do you think we are going to buy more, well folks, you are mistaken, you really are.” *
We’ll see how Mike balances public sentiment on this one. Should be interesting.
*(sarcasm)
Sorry, I didn’t catch this guy’s last name, but during the city council meeting’s public testimony he raved about the snowgates being tested in his neighborhood. I suggest you watch the testimony, but one thing he said stood out, “They work.”
While I’m all for saving the city money with snow removal, I think by not plowing secondary routes, it will end up biting the city and it’s citizens in the ass;
The city of Sioux Falls has quit pre-treating streets with chemicals before winter weather hits, and will clear secondary streets only when warranted as part of an effort to save money.
I noticed driving home from work last night that it seemed there was more snow on the roads then usual (for only having a couple of inches on the ground). While driving conditions were ‘OK’ they should have been much better considering how little snow we did get.
SPEARFISH — Tuesday’s general election in Spearfish settled a debate over snow-removal practices, but city officials said Wednesday that residents had better prepare for changes to when the streets get plowed.
The new ordinance prohibits city plowing crews from pushing snow into private driveways while cleaning streets after a snowfall. Currently, plows can push snow from the street, which can block driveways along the route. Residents frequently become frustrated when they shovel a path from the garage to the street, only to find the city has plowed it shut later during the day.
Maybe we should put it on the ballot in Sioux Falls – then we can stop hearing excuses from the Public Works department. Put up or shut up.
The Brandon City Council has decided that the city will take care of trimming trees that are in the boulevard; that is, between the sidewalk and the street. The council is so committed to this that they are reimbursing everyone for the last two years who paid for this service themselves, whether the city did the work and billed the resident, or whether the resident hired a private company to do the work.
The council reasons that the boulevard is city property; therefore, the trees are city responsibility.
That last line is important, it has been my reasoning all along. Don’t trim the boulevard trees and don’t pay the fine, the city has no constitutional right to charge you to take care of their property.
I had a heated discussion last night about snowgates with a plow operator with the city, he was under the impression, as his boss, Galynn Huber is, that they don’t work. Even though not one single flake of snow has fallen yet and they have not been used yet. It is pretty obvious that after having this discussion (you can at least see my comments) that someone in the street department is already brainwashing operators so that they will sabotage the gates. Silliness.
l3wis