News
Winter
in Maine takes its toll
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray--Public Works Director Steve LaVallee said to
the Council Tuesday night, that he was happy to present
information about the Department's winter operations,
"but please don't kill the messenger."
Mr. LaVallee said that the winter has been harder
that it appears, with 15 storms and 35 winter events.
He defines a storm from the time precipitation started
and ends, and an event as how long the trucks are
on the roads plowing or treating. He said that the
Department has had to use 9,100 yards of sand, 1,700
tons of salt, and 4,300 gallons of calcium. "The
reasons are because of the cold, the ice- we've received
over 1.25 inches, and the snow, we've received over
50 inches."
Mr. LaVallee said that the Department ran out of salt
and they had to re-stock, from Portsmouth., "Portland
was out, too."
Mr. LaVallee explained that in terms of costs, they
have spent $36,000 over budget on salt and $1,660
over on calcium, and spent 950 hours on overtime with
1,400 hours budgeted.
"The crew has stood up well, and I am so proud
of them. They have withstood everything, including
conditions where they could not see their hands in
front of their face." There was a black ice event
on Martin Luther King day, and Mr. LaVallee said that
often when people see the trucks out without seeing
snow they begin to wonder. "You could not see
the centerline on the road, at that event" hence
the call to put out the trucks.
Mr. LaVallee said that with the higher angle of the
sun now hopefully it will go a long way toward helping
to melt whatever comes next and the crews can cut
back. He said that many people do not know that the
department does not have a black road policy (plowing
during a storm until black pavement is visible) but
that we do have an after event black road policy so
people do not have to travel on snowpack or ice.
"We can't always change the way people drive
but we can change the conditions of the roads, and
we have the ability, so I say to my crew that we mne3ed
to make it as safe as possible before we go home.
And that's where I'm coming from."
Mr. LaVallee concluded by saying simply, "It's
winter in Maine."
