MELFORT — With snow hitting roadways once again, the City of Melfort put out a reminder on its website to follow its protocols including not parking on streets whenever possible to allow for efficient cleaning.
The City of Melfort works and utilities department is responsible for snow and ice control for 60 kilometres of streets, 11.5 kilometres of highway and service roads and 20 kilometres of back alleys.
However, snow clearing doesn’t start until snowfall and blowing winds have subsided. Heavy snowfalls or successive storms may extend these time deadlines.
The city’s first priority in its snow and ice management policy is to ensure highways, service roads, collectors and emergency service routes are cleared within eight hours of snowfall, which includes hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, as well as ensuring the airport will be cleared within four hours of snowfall.
The second priority is to ensure that the central business district and school access routes are passable within 10 hours, followed by ensuring that the remainder of city streets are passable within 48 hours.
“Ensuring that residential streets are passable and removal of excessive snow comes next,” wrote the city on its winter reminder. “Finally back lanes are cleared and snow is picked up as required. The entire process can take up to two to three weeks provided another snowfall doesn’t occur before we’re completed, requiring us to start at the beginning again.”
On weekends the snow removal crews do not go out unless highways are becoming snow covered or have icy sections. Main arterial roadways that are becoming very heavy or impassable are cleared as needed, as authorized by the city.
Snow is not to be moved from personal properties to city streets in compliance with city bylaws.
When Melfort Fire and Rescue was reached for comment if there was a message they would like to enforce, Cpt. Graham Calow said he wanted to reiterate the message of keeping it slow.
“The snow, although it gets plowed, it’s still slippery out there,” Calow said. “We often get called when people are still in a hurry and taking things too quickly.”
