Chesterton Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg wants folks to know that
there’s a $100 fine for moving snow into a public roadway.
At Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Schnadenberg reported that over the
past weekend his plow crews chanced upon numerous roads which, some time
after they’d been cleared, were fouled again by residents with their blowers
and shovels. “We spend significant time clearing streets, only to have
residents blow it back into the roadway,” Schnadenberg said. He added that
there’s a safety issue involved, as motorists who hit a snow or ice patch on
an otherwise clean street are likely to lose control of their vehicles.
Schnadenberg also reported that crews--in shifts--worked nearly 24
continuous hours last weekend, beginning at 10 p.m. Friday and going through
9 p.m. Saturday, to clear the seven inches of snow recorded in Duneland.
It takes fully eight hours after the snow has stopped, Schnadenberg
noted, to clear all the subdivisions.
And how much did the weekend’s snow cost the town in salt and fuel? A cool
$11,039.06, Schnadenberg told the council.
With 70 lane miles of roadway in the town, the Street Department uses
between 60 and 80 tons of salt every time it’s plows hit the streets. And so
far this season they’ve hit the streets six times, including Monday evening.
Meanwhile, Schnadenberg said that the Street Department is still trying to
collect brush from areas in need. Crews were to be tasked to brush pickup
today.
The only question: will they be able to see it under the snow?
Schnadenberg also reported a “significant repair” to a 2008 truck whose
five-year extended warranty expired in May. The total cost: $4,356.
In other business, Fire Chief Mike Orlich thanked Deputy Fire Chief John
Jarka and Lt. Brandon Smith for doing in-house repairs on Engine 511’s pump.
“They saved us a lot of money,” he said.