10-13-2003 CC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes Page 6 October 13, 2003 ............................. Mr. Hals stated that he likes to plow with front-end loaders, that staff has 12 foot reversible plows on two of the loaders and they are exceptional for plowing cul-de-sacs because they are up in the air, visibility is good, and you can actually drop the equipment, making a pass over the cul-de-sac in a faster amount of time than using the trucks. Councilmember Dietz asked how many front-end loaders would be used on the second day. Mr. Hals stated that we will use four vehicles and will also run the trucks. Councilmember Dietz asked about staffing, who fills in while the workers are resting. Mr. Hals stated that in an unusually long storm, one of the mechanics and he will start out plowing on the onset of the storm and then the main crew comes on rested and ready and then 12 hours later will switch again. Staff tries not to exceed a 12-hour shift. Councilmember Dietz asked if there is any rhyme or reason as to where the routes start/stop. Do they start in the same place every time and end in the same place every time. Mr. Hals answered that we try to lay out each route so that staff is plowing the most people out in the shortest amount of time. They pretty much start and end with the same routes. Staff has talked about varying from time to time but there are pluses and minuses to it. Councilmember Kuester asked if staff keeps track of residential miles that are being plowed, and if we do comparisons from year to year. Also, what criteria can the Council use to know if we need another person. Mr. Hals stated that every snowstorm is different. He has a graph that was put together by the MN Street Association that shows how many miles of street can be plowed in a certain amount of time. Workers will radio each other when they are done with their route to inquire who needs help. Councilmember Kuester asked if there was any value to put in the newsletter the way the routes are. Mr. Hals stated that that was a good idea and may be done in the future. Mayor Klinzing asked how does staff coordinate with the county in regards to county roads. Mr. Hals stated that we don't really pass paths very often; always a handshake type of agreement, i.e. if Mississippi Road (CR 30) hasn't been plowed, we will plow our way out there. The entities will help each other out. Mayor Klinzing inquired about the county and City intersections. Do we unplug those as long as we are going through. Mr. Hals stated that quite often staff will get a call that the intersection is slippery and we will respond even if it is a county road and vice versa. Mayor Klinzing asked if people call the police department. What happens to calls to dispatch. Police Chief Beahen answered that the dispatcher will page the public works on-call staff for City or county calls.