City of Ames addresses snow concerns
Kelsey Palmros, [email protected]
Audience members were able to ask questions about the process of snow removal in Ames and how City of Ames is going to handle it this coming winter, during a discussion that took place at St. Johns Church, Monday November 9.
November 9, 2015
Campustown hosted a “Snow Talk” on Monday to address complaints about snow removal in Ames. at the St. John’s by the Campus church on Lincoln Way.
Justin Clausen, operation manager of the city of Ames, spoke at the St. John’s by the Campus church in response to the complaints.
Residents and businesses owners have concerns about the frequency and completeness of plowing, along with which areas fall under the city of Ames and which areas full under their responsibility.
According to the city of Ames, about 277 center-line miles of street and more than 37 miles of shared-use path falls under their jurisdiction.
“Just know we are out doing the plowing,” Clausen said. “Sometimes there is that perception that we are not, but we are.”
Ames averages about 36 inches of snow per season with not much snow storage.
“We are not going to haul it out until we know we’re done pushing it around,” Clausen said.
Clausen also said his crews sometime spend more than 50 hours on shifts and that he and other city of Ames personnel send home crews to get sleep at times.
Although much of Ames falls under the city of Ames jurisdiction, business owners and residents of Ames are also responsible for some snow removal on paths.
Another issue that was raised was the use of salt. New concrete paths will not receive salt their first winter.
The city of Ames uses 2,500 tons of salt and 50,000 gallons of salt brine annually.
Because of a lack of attendance at the discussion, the city of Ames may return to another discussion on the topic in the near future.
“If you need me, I can do it again. It’s important to us,” Clausen said.
