MAYOR'S MESSAGE

Craig A. Stough 12/14/2006

"Snow and Ice Removal"

Like most communities in our region, snow and ice removal from our streets is a high priority in the City of Sylvania. But unlike most city services, it is a sporatic and hard to predict job dependent on the weather. Overtime is almost always needed to get the job done right when it needs to be done. Let me share some facts with you about this vital, but sometimes expensive, City service.

Last winter, City employees spent 756 hours removing ice and snow, and spread 853 tons of road salt, somewhat less than recent years due to a milder winter. The City of Sylvania has six trucks equipped with plows and salt spreaders. One of these trucks is equipped with a liquid brine spreader to pretreat roads prior to predicted storms. Maybe you have noticed the white lines left on the pavement by this brine treatment.

Snow and ice removal costs, like leaf collection costs, are paid for out of the City's General Fund. City of Sylvania property owners are not assessed on their property tax bills for these services.

The City has categorized streets into four levels of importance: main arteries (Monroe, Main, Alexis, Harroun), secondary streets (Brint, McCord, Summit, Erie, etc), feeder streets (main neighborhood streets) and residential streets. Main arteries and secondary streets get attention first, with the trucks then moving to feeder and residential streets. All streets are plowed on predetermined routes that each driver follows in order.

Sylvania police officers keep an eye on road conditions 24 hours a day, and when conditions warrant, main and secondary streets are completely salted. On feeder and residential streets, crews salt intersections, hills and curves. When it snows three or more inches, the trucks begin plowing with their 10' wide blades. During very heavy snows, the city will rent an articulate loader to remove snow from cul-de-sacs.

The City of Sylvania bids and buys road salt each year in conjunction with Sylvania Township and Sylvania Schools to receive better pricing for the larger combined purchase. This year the lowest price bid for road salt was $36.09 per ton from North American Salt Company. Road salt is delivered into the city's salt storage dome at the municipal garage on Harroun Road.

Snow and ice removal often keeps the trucks on the road 24 hours a day until the roads are clear. The worse the storm, the longer the clearing process. Be assured our trucks are working and will get to your street soon. The trucks will make one pass down all 78 miles of city streets before coming back for a second pass to widen streets out to full width. Let's hope we don't have too many bad storms this winter. But if we do, our City crews and equipment are ready.