Snow removal costs clobber city budget

Wednesday's snowstorm will push the city’s plowing costs past the $780,000 budgeted for the entire winter, officials said.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said he figures the city will wind up about $300,000 short by the time the last snowflakes vanish in the spring breeze.
Though the amount of snow this winter has been normal, he said, many of the storms have fallen on holidays and weekends, when plow operators earn overtime or even double time.
The fiscal situation would be even worse were it not for the changeover this year from the old salt and sand mix to a new treated salt that has proven more effective and cheaper, Veselka said.
“It’s worked very well putting out less material,” Veselka said.
Mayor Art Ward has repeatedly said this winter that residents are happy with the snow removal efforts. He praised public works crews that have put in long hours to battle some difficult storms.
The city will have to dip into its reserves to pay the extra plowing costs, finance officials said.. That makes it tougher to end the fiscal year in the black.
Veselka said an advantage of the new treated salt material is that spring street cleaning should go much faster because there is so much less sand on the roads. It also makes cleaning out catch basins quicker, he said.
This may be the last winter the city uses sand routinely during the winter.
It is using treated salt throughout the city for the first round of putting material down on roads, but once the trucks have used it up in the Chippens Hill and west Bristol areas, old stores of sand and salt are tapped.
Veselka said that beginning next winter, the sand won’t be used. The old material that’s likely to be left over, he said, will be given out to residents.
What makes the new technology particularly nice for the city is that it can no longer mine its own sand. Its permit is running out so if it wanted to keep using sand it would need to buy it or try to get the permit renewed, which might not happen.
Veselka said that public works uses the treated salt on the streets before the snow falls – or at least before it gets packed down – because that works best.
For example, he said Tuesday, he plans to start putting out the treated salt at about 2 a.m. tonight on the busiest roads and by 6 a.m. on side streets in order to make sure it’s on the pavement by the time there’s much snow there.
It is much more effective that way, Veselka said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City prepares for Friday snowstorm

Public Works Director Walter Veselka said that snowplow operators and other necessary personnel are going to start getting ready at 7 a.m. to deal with Friday's predicted storm.

Veselka said that forecasters have told the city to expect the snow to begin about 10:30 a.m. and continue until about 9 p.m., with the heaviest snowfall between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. He said it is likely to total between 6 and 10 inches in Bristol.

This year, for the first time, the city is using an ice melting chemical across town. It should cut down on the sand and grit on city roads.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City to use less sand and salt this winter

Press release from the public works department:

The City of Bristol Public Works Department is expanding their de-icing program throughout the city using a product called Ice B Gone 2 on city streets during the 2008-2009 winter season. This product with a magnesium chloride wetting agent is applied as a pre-treatment before a winter storm, as weather permits, and is intended to prevent ice from adhering to roadway surfaces. This de-icing and road treatment was used as a trial in the area around Redstone Hill Road with very positive results during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 winter seasons.  In addition to being more effective than traditional sand/salt treatment, the de-icing treatment uses less material saving money in our winter operations budget.

Ice B Gone 2 is a treated rock salt material that is environmentally friendly, less corrosive and is distributed more efficiently than traditional rock salt.  Ice B Gone 2 lasts longer and melts faster at lower temperatures than regular salt. Ice B Gone 2 also prevents refreeze commonly associated with regular rock salt.  The treatment of the salt results in less bounce and scatter when applied to the roadway.  Residents may not be able to detect a visible material on the roads, but treated roads will have better traction and minimal icing once snow/ice begins to cover the road. This product will also be applied during and after precipitation as needed.  A salt/sand mixture and liquid magnesium chloride may also be applied as needed.

During or after a winter storm, you may not see evidence of sand having been distributed on City streets, but please be assured that the City of Bristol will be treating roadway surfaces to ensure safe travel.

More information on snow removal and ice control operations can be found on our web site at: http://www.ci.bristol.ct.us/content/3240/6587/3264/default.aspx

As a reminder, City ordinance prohibits parking vehicles on any street or highway between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day during the period from December fifteenth to March fifteenth of each year.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Plowing through the bureaucracy

Mayor Art Ward is pushing to lower the cost of plowing snow in Bristol.
He's working with officials from public works, the park department and the schools to try to change the system currently in use so that fewer private plows are needed.
Ward said, for example, that it may make sense to use the park plows on city streets for some storms to help clear them for morning commuters and then shift the focus onto park property, perhaps with help from public works plows.
The same logic would apply to snow plow equipment used by the schools, the mayor said.
By figuring out what plows are available in each department and then working out the most efficient way to use them, Ward said, the city ought to be able to use fewer private contractors to fill the gap.
Since private plow operators are going to need more money this year to pay for fuel, Ward said, reducing use is the key to keeping snow removal costs from soaring out of control.
Comptroller Glenn Klocko said the last couple of winters have been relatively easy on city finances "so we're due."
Ward said that snow plowing is merely the first of many areas he's looking at in the hope of reducing duplication of services and cutting costs for taxpayers.
The mayor is even talking to the leaders of neighboring towns about looking for potential savings by checking into providing some services on a regional basis.
So far, there are no solid changes slated, but the effort could lead to less spending at City Hall.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com