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Recent snowfalls keep public works staff hopping

It has been a busy start of the year for Town of Barrhead public works staff. On Jan. 4, the area received an estimated 15 to 20 centimetres of snow followed by about another five centimetres Jan. 6.
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The public works department is busy removing snow off of Veterans Avenue beside Barrhead’s Royal Canadian Legion on Jan. 8.

It has been a busy start of the year for Town of Barrhead public works staff.

On Jan. 4, the area received an estimated 15 to 20 centimetres of snow followed by about another five centimetres Jan. 6.

“The last few days have been challenging to say the least,” said public works director Brant Ross.

The Barrhead Leader decided to talk to Ross to learn how public works determines what kind of response it should take after a substantial snowfall.

“Emergency services are our first priority, making sure emergency services, the police, ambulance, fire department and the hospital are cleared before moving on to other areas,” he said, referring to the downtown area and residential areas.

Ross noted snow removal and other maintenance for Highway 18 and 33 is the responsibility of Alberta Transportation and its contractors. In this area, the contractor is Emcon Services Inc. which acquired the contract from Carillion in the summer after the company declared bankruptcy.

As for if there are certain guidelines public works uses to determine when they clear the streets, Ross said not really.

“It varies depending on the type of snow it is. I think it is more a matter of common sense that determines what our response is going to be,” he said, adding this winter was made more challenging due to bouts of freezing rain in mid-December before receiving a significant snowfall shortly before Christmas.

To ensure town streets are safe to travel, public works utilizes a small fleet of vehicles and equipment for winter road maintenance, including a sander, grader and two loaders.

If the amount of snowfall is significant enough they will pick up the snow, however, before doing so the town will put out no parking signs in the area, usually a minimum of 24 hours in advance, warning residents that crews will be working in the area.

Ross said it is important that residents obey the signs, as not only does it speed up the process, but is a matter of safety for not only work crews and their equipment but residents.

He also asks residents not to clear the snow from their sidewalks and driveways onto the street.

“It can be a real problem. It is hard enough to pick up the volumes that we do without having to deal with all the extra snow from people’s yards,” he said.

It is also against the town’s Community Standards Bylaw and violators are subject to a $150 fine. In recent years, the town has discontinued its practice of giving out warnings for residents violating the snow removal portion of the bylaw stating they were not effective in curbing people’s behaviors.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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