We’re lucky we live in Bellevue when it comes to snow. Our Department of Public Works deserves another pat on the back. It seems that our guys are always on top of snow removal and that includes our managers. Think about it, while our managers scheduled our crew to plow and salt the streets other towns did not.
It doesn’t take a flaming intellectual to understand that a $100,000 truck with a plow, salt and a spreader attached can’t move two feet of snow without a human being at the wheel. We can buy all the equipment we want but if there is no one to operate the equipment it’s useless.
Before the City of Pittsburgh announced that they had 50 percent of their streets plowed our crew had all our streets open and the snow on Lincoln Avenue in the business district removed. A news reporter asked the City Council President why the suburbs’ streets were passable but the City’s weren’t. The Council President said if the suburbs were so good at snow removal they should bring their equipment to the city and help clear the streets because the City always lends equipment to the suburbs. Can you believe that?
The reporters didn’t let up over the next few days and eventually we hear that the City didn’t have crews out on Friday night after 8 pm. Some municipalities do that to save manpower costs. By Saturday morning at 8 am the snow already had a grip on the region and the City was snowed in. If that wasn’t bad enough they started towing vehicles parked on side streets. Imagine the logic, fire trucks and ambulances needed the National Guard to answer calls but the City had tow trucks impounding residents parked cars. Do you think they had their priorities a little askew?
Our guys deserve a few more accolades. Did you notice that when they plowed they didn’t plow your car back in? Did you notice they didn’t plow in your driveway after the streets were opened the first time? Not only did they make a clear path for cars they considered all the shoveling we were doing and they didn’t make us do it again. They realized that we were in emergency mode just like they were. I’m sure we will get to the point of widening the paths that will require our driveways, cars, and dug out parking spaces to be violated but after all, it has been over a week now.
Our volunteer fire fighters were cruising the town digging out fire hydrants before some of our neighboring towns plowed for the first time. Three cheers for the road crew and their management team , as well as the fire department, they did an outstanding job in this declared disaster.
