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By Dena Wood
The Times 

City, School Crews Win Battle with Snow and Ice

 


WAITSBURG – Thanks to plenty of cooperation and helping hands, roads, walks, and lots in Waitsburg stayed relatively safe during the recent weeks of icy, snowy weather.

At December’s Waitsburg School Board meeting Transportation Supervisor Colter Mohney expressed concern that the district didn’t have the manpower or equipment necessary to move and then deal with the unexpected amount of snow and ice that had already covered the school lots and sidewalks.

Mohney explained that more care is necessary to clean snow off gravel than asphalt in order to make sure the gravel doesn’t get torn up. And, because of the small lot sizes, Walla Walla companies were not interested in coming out to clear them.

Essentially, the only piece of equipment the school has for snow removal is an ATV with a plow, a fertilizer spreader for spreading ice melt, and a couple of guys with shovels. And once the snow berm becomes too heavy, the ATV isn’t strong enough to push it, Mohney said.

Mohney said that even with the snow removed it is a challenge to get past the ice slicks, to bare, dry sidewalks.

“Last week there were a couple of days that I put 600 lbs. of ice melt on the sidewalks. Imagine doing that with the parking lots,” Mohney said.

Another challenge was trying to find a time when the parking lots were empty, especially with basketball games and sports practices. High school principal Stephanie Wooderchak expressed concern for elderly fans trying to make their way from the parking lot to the building for basketball games.

This month, Mohney let The Times know that the district had been able to keep lots and sidewalks cleared through a joint effort of school staff, county crews, the city crew, and volunteers.

“Clyde Burdine and John Lindsey worked on the Preston Hall and Academy parking lots and Walla Walla County took care of the high school lot. The city helped out with some of the sidewalks and in-town bus routes and the county is working on the bus route roads,” Mohney said.

Mohney said the high school lot is the biggest challenge because it is so large and because of the traffic volume.

“We cleared it the first time during Christmas break, but the next time was a juggling act. I was directing traffic while we were calling the kids to come out and move their cars,” he said.

“Everyone has really stepped up and worked snow removal into their already busy schedules. And they were willing to work around our schedules. Even the staff and students have been really helpful,” Mohney said.

Waitsburg Public Works Supervisor Jim Lynch said he feels the city has done a good job keeping a handle on the snow and ice as well.

The city used its two 4-wheelers to clear sidewalks, and its grader for clearing streets, alleys, and cemetery roads. Lynch said that a skid steer, purchased last summer to do work on the spring lines in the city’s watershed, was helpful in removing piles of snow from intersections and from around stop signs.

At the direction of the council, the city purchased a snow blade that fits on both a small tractor and on the skid steer. Lynch said they just picked up the blade on Jan. 13.

“I think we kept up OK. Sometimes it got a little deep in spots, but we got it removed the best we could and were able to handle it with no overtime. We also had a few frozen pipes and needed to turn off water lines for people. But I’m glad that it’s gone for awhile,” Lynch said.

City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the extra snow didn’t have any significant impact on the city budget other than the purchase of the snow blade.

“It’s always a challenge dealing with the amount of snow we had recently. A lot of times driveways and crosswalks get plowed in during the process, making it hard for people to get out of their driveways or across intersections,” Hinchliffe said.

“I think our crew did a very good job of clearing the snow off the streets and sidewalks and made it much easier to get around the city. They were especially helpful to the elderly citizens that were physically unable to clear their driveways and sidewalks,” he added.

 

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