Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Schnadenberg: $100 fine for blowing snow into the roadway

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By KEVIN NEVERS

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted 12/17/2013

 
 

 

 

 

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