This week’s featured question reads:
“Of all the problems all this heavy snow has caused with travel and school closings, I can’t help but wonder what other problems it caused around the city and even the county! I can’t imagine our police cars and fire trucks are built to handle messes like this, much less the countless hours our street and highway folks have put in, the amount of sand and salt they have went through. I’m not real sure who to ask directly about this, but I’m very curious what sort of issues the weather caused for local government and public service and how they worked through it. And I would just like to thank everyone out there who had a hand in keeping things up and running through the worst of it. You are appreciated.”
Answer as given by Merrill City Administrator Dave Johnson–
“As far as City Hall is concerned we did not consider closing for the low temperatures and heavy snow fall. All other city department employees had to be at work to provide services so there was no reason why city hall should not be open. Even with the low temperatures and snow fall we had, citizens coming into city hall to transact business. All City employees did an excellent job providing needed services in spite of the daunting weather conditions they were forced to work in.”
Answer as given by City Public Works Director/City Engineer Rod Akey-
“The recent weather events (snow and cold) have added to and made our work load more difficult. The Street Department has had plenty of snow to plow and will be picking up snow for the next couple of weeks. The Water Utility has had a few water main breaks and the cold weather has made normal operations more challenging. With that being said, the public needs to know we are balancing public safety with budget concerns, not every street snow bank and intersection will be cleared.”
Answer as given by Merrill Transit Administrator Brad Brummond-
“The Merrill-Go-Round continued to provide transportation to those in need during the recent weather activities with only minor effects to our level of service. Our bus operators did a tremendous job getting citizens to and from their appointments, work, and other activities. Some of the biggest challenges faced for us were safe locations to board and alight passengers as normal safe zones were filled with snow. The Merrill-Go-Round would like to thank our Street Department for keeping the roads passable; allowing us to be available for those who needed us.”
Answer as given by City Street Superintendent Dustin Bonack-
“Regarding our snow removal efforts, here is a breakdown starting February 5 and running until February 19, which is when the snow really started piling up. We have spent 1,260 total hours in snow removal, 300 of those are overtime. What might go unnoticed is that most of these hours are overnight when we can conduct snow removal without the hassle of traffic.
“We are currently running a 10-hour shift removing snow from boulevards starting with the heaviest traveled streets. We have received a large number of calls from residents asking when their snow banks can be knocked down and we explain that we are working through town, but it may take a few weeks before we get to every street. We actually haven’t gone through as much salt and sand as one might think, considering the amount of snow. In that period we used 45 tons of salt and 135 tons of sand.
“The low amounts can be contributed to a few things; warmer temperatures requiring less material to melt ice, more direct sunlight helping to melt streets and with continual plowing, it doesn’t make sense to use a large amount of sand just to plow it off the next day. All in all the crew has been doing an excellent job keeping travel safe in the city.”
Answer as given by Wisconsin State Patrol Executive Officer Lieutenant Richard Reichenberger-
“From the Wisconsin State Patrol’s perspective snowfall always causes issues. We usually respond to numerous crashes and runoffs on USH 51 and around the entire state. Most problematic is the driver behavior we see when we are at the scene of a crash, or car in the ditch. This is a huge problem when it comes to officers remaining safe at these scenes. If you ask an officer who has been on the job more than 15 years, the majority have had their patrol vehicle run into (occupied or not) by a motorist when out at a crash scene.
“During a recent snowfall, a State Patrol officer’s vehicle was struck on I-90 near Tomah. The patrol vehicle was totaled, and the officer received minor injuries. During these snow events, depending on the conditions, we usually have as many troopers as we can out patrolling and responding to incidents. At certain times, especially during the morning and evening commute, we are responding to simultaneous incidents and get spread pretty thin. This puts a strain on all police agencies throughout these events. Depending on the traffic conditions and volume, it can take up to 3 -4 squad cars to slow traffic down, block a lane, just to get one vehicle removed from the median on USH 51. Sometimes crashes are blocking the entire roadway and traffic must be diverted onto an alternate route.
“This again takes numerous officers to put in place, as well as the officers handling the scene and tending to the injured. All law enforcement agencies try to do these things as safely as possible and minimize the safety risk to everyone. These snow events also put a strain on the dispatch centers as they receive many calls, and are coordinating law enforcement response to any incidents, calling for wreckers and ambulances, if necessary.
“The highway departments do their best to keep the roads clear, but motorists need to adjust their driving habits according the conditions. Most people do so, but it only takes one to cause a serious incident with very bad consequences to everyone. The safety of everyone out there is paramount, and the responsibility falls on everyone to drive safely.”
Do you have a question or concern you would like to address with a local official? If so, simply email your question or concern to [email protected]. Currently, ten city, county and state officials participate in the Ask an Official feature. Participating officials are as follows: Merrill City Administrator Dave Johnson, Merrill Common Council President Rob Norton, Merrill Fire Chief Josh Klug, Merrill Police Chief Corey Bennett, Merrill Area Public Schools Superintendent Dr. John Sample, Lincoln County Administrative Coordinator Jason Hake, Lincoln County Forestry, Land and Parks Director Kevin Kleinschmidt, Tomahawk Police Chief Al Elvins, Wisconsin DNR Conservation Warden Curt Butler and Wisconsin State Patrol Lieutenant Richard Reichenberger. Please Note: Those who choose to submit a question or concern will remain anonymous.