Winter has arrived and the Presque Isle Public Works Department is prepared. The department will continue to carry out a complete snow removal and ice control program on all streets and roads in Presque Isle.
An important step in dealing with any snowfall is salting and/or sanding early in the storm. Top priority is given to the city’s main streets and roads leading in and out of town and residential areas with extremely steep hills. Also treated early are streets leading to schools. Our goal is to have everything plowed and sanded once over before the schools open.
As the storm progresses and 1 or 2 inches of snow have accumulated, plowing begins in earnest. Some people ask “why do you sand and salt, then plow it off”? Well, sanding or salting early prevents the snow-pack from sticking to the pavement. Plowing immediately after sanding will remove a lot of material, but normally an hour or two passes between application and plowing. By then the salt has formed brine and the fine sand has penetrated enough that it is not “all plowed off”. The material remains and continues to do its work. Some of the larger pieces will naturally be plowed off. The plows will continue their routes, opening each street in sequence until the storm is over. Later the plows will be around to widen out the streets and clean the sidewalks. Please remember, if possible, wait until the street is completely cleaned and widened before cleaning out the end of your driveway. There is no practical way to operate the plow trucks without depositing snow in driveways.
When the storm is over, crews will continue to patrol for icy patches or drifts. Usually, within 24 hours of a storm the crews will be back to remove snow from the downtown area and clear the sidewalks on side streets.
Don’t be mislead by trucks driving with the plow up. They may be going in for fuel, repairs or headed for another route.
To help reduce the possibility of a broken mailbox post or damaged box, make sure that you clean the snow away and that the post is not rotten. The City of Presque Isle snowplow operators are urged to take precautions to avoid hitting mailboxes but with reduced visibility and high banks it is not always possible to avoid hitting a box with the wing or with heavy snow that comes off the wing.
Remember, anything placed within the right of way, including mailboxes, is placed there at the owners risk. The municipality has no legal responsibility to repair or replace mailboxes or posts. It is our policy to not replace or repair damaged mailboxes or posts. Therefore, owners are encouraged to put mailboxes as far off the pavement as possible.
You can help:
• Get your vehicle ready for winter.
• Reduce your speed and drive only when necessary.
• Before your final driveway cleanup, check the street.
• If the street is clean, full width, and sanded, chances are it is safe to clean your driveway.
Please understand that the city crew can not plow the end of your driveway or plow private property. It is against the law in Maine to plow, push or blow snow onto the street, sidewalk or anywhere in the right of way. (MRSA 1752) Any person in violation of the law or ordinance is liable for any damages caused by depositing snow or ice in the public right of way. They may also be subject to court action and may be held liable for cost of removing any obstructions.
• Please remove any other ornaments and things such as rocks, concrete blocks, blocks of wood or anything that might get caught in our snowblower or damage a plow.
Under title 23 MRSA a person is liable for any damages caused by placing these obstacles within the public right of way. That person is also liable for the cost of removing any obstructions.
• Any vehicles parked in the street which interfere with plowing or moving snow may be towed. If one is towed it is at the owner’s expense.
Be patient please. There are well over 200 lane miles to be plowed in Presque Isle. In a long storm we work around the clock so that you can come and go as needed. There is no shift change for your plow driver.
Gerry James is public works director for the city of Presque Isle. He can be reached at 764-2560 or via e-mail at gerryjames@mfx.net.
