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Politics & Government

Snow Plowing in September?

The Northfield City Council approved the city's new policy on snow plowing and other winter-related issues at its Tuesday meeting. The policy will be reviewed each September, before Old Man Winter gets comfortable.

Talking about snow in September?

The —meeting on one of the final nights of 2011's summer—turned its attention to snow plowing at its Tuesday meeting.

Councilors approved the city’s Snow and Ice Control Policy and Guidelines, a new document that outlines how city employees deal with the worst winter has to offer. Items covered include when streets are scheduled to get plowed, when a snow emergency is declared, how winter parking permits are distributed and when homeowners must shovel their sidewalks.

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The council will review the policy each September, serving as a reminder of what city employees and residents have to look forward to during the coming winter months.

“We don’t want to bring it up earlier because people are still enjoying summer,” said city engineer Brian Erickson.

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As has been past practice, city snow plow crews intend to plow all street, curb to curb, within 12 hours of a measurable snowfall, Erickson said. There are exceptions to that time frame, however, such as that dropped well over a foot of snow on the city.

“Normally, we can hit that goal if we get six inches or less, which is the bulk of what we get here,” he said.

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Erickson said the most noticeable change in the policy pertains to mailboxes. While the city will continue to issue a $65 payment to property owners who have their mailboxes damaged by a plow, the replacement mailbox must be installed to meet city standards. If that is not done, the city will not be liable for future damage.

The city does have on hand a small number of temporary mailboxes to replace what is damaged, Erickson said.

Councilor Patrick Ganey questioned why the policy encourages, but not requires, residents to clear snow from nearby fire hydrants.

“This is a safety issue,” he said. “We can’t assume that the city can get to all the fire hydrants.”

City Administrator Tim Madigan said that because of various reasons, cities typically do not make hydrant clearing a requirement. He added that if councilors want to look at making it a requirement, they should ask the city attorney to study the issue.

There are more than 800 fire hydrants in Northfield, Erickson said.

In response to bicycling-related questions from Councilor Betsey Buckheit, Erickson said city plow crews will keep designated bike lanes as clear as possible throughout the winter, as the lanes are part of the curb-to-curb plowing. However, compacted snow does pose a problem later in winter.

In addition, city employees will work to keep downtown bike racks clear.

Councilors encouraged Erickson to post as much snow plow-related information—including plow routes and the city’s mailbox standards—on the city’s website as soon as possible. Also, they suggested the city use social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to get the word out about snow emergencies, snow-related street closures and plowing schedules.

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