(COLUMBIA, MO) -
Ron Calkins, retired Public Works Director for the City of Ventura, Calif., and current President of the American Public Works Association (APWA) presented the Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award to Columbia Public Works at the APWA North American Snow Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 24, 2017. Public Works staff members on hand to receive the award were Street Maintenance Engineer Seth Nelson, Supervisor Ricky Hance and Street Maintenance Superintendent Sam Thomas.
"This award is for the men and women who work tirelessly to coordinate and carry out the City's snow and ice management policies," Engineering Manager Richard Stone said. "I am proud that they have been recognized for the critical part they play as first responders during ice and snow events."
In total, there are more than 1,300 lane miles of streets and roads in Columbia including more than 1,100 cul-de-sacs. To manage this volume of roadways during a winter event, the City has implemented a priority road policy designed to reach out to as much of the City as possible while ensuring major roadways for schools, hospitals, businesses and emergency responders are safe and passable. There are 275 lane miles of first priority streets and 191 lane miles of second priority streets. Snow and ice control response in residential areas is determined by the amount of accumulating snow received. For example, if snowfall is 4 inches or more, crews will plow and treat residential areas in continuous operation once priority routes are complete.
"It takes complete teamwork, from the operations supervision through the skilled workers behind the plows, as well as our communications team, to develop and implement a successful snow and ice control plan," Columbia Public Works Director David Nichols said.
In addition to winter weather response, the 45 employees of the Street Division also clear debris from roads caused by floods and high winds, sweep streets, perform street and sidewalk repairs and mow public right-of-ways. The allocated budget for street maintenance in 2017 is approximately $7.6 million of which $607,000 is dedicated to snow and ice control.
APWA is a not-for-profit organization of more than 29,600 members involved in the field of public works. Headquartered in Kansas City, APWA has 63 chapters in North America. Membership is not required to be selected for this award.
More information about Columbia Snow and Ice Management policies and procedures is available at CoMoSnow.com.
Photo Credit: John Ryynanen, PublicWorksTraining.com
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