Zeke Finch, at left, drives one of Holyoke’s large city trucks used for snow removal as City Superintendent Mark Brown operates a loader with a snowblower attachment. The Dec. 29, 2020, storm was a fairly typical day as far as snow removal goes for the city. Both city and county crews monitor weather reports, look for drifts and consider what routes need to be cleared first when a snowstorm hits. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications
Snow problem’s no problem for city and county snow crews
Imagine it’s early morning and it’s snowing. It’s peaceful to look out the window and watch as flakes lazily make their way to the ground.
Then the wind starts to pick up and the temperature continues to drop. It isn’t long until those flakes aren’t so peaceful anymore, and they’re whipping through the wind and starting to pile up in drifts.
You might be grateful that it’s still a few hours until you have to go to work. Or maybe you don’t have to work today and it’s the perfect time to gather the blankets, make a hot drink and settle in for a cozy snow day indoors.
But not everyone is able to stay home on a day like this. Chances are that snow removal crews are already working diligently in the cold to clear city and county roads to make them safe for residents to drive — and they’ve likely been awake and working for quite some time.
Holyoke City Superintendent Mark Brown, Phillips County road and bridge manager Mike Salyards and their crews make safety a priority when clearing streets and roads, making it possible for people to go to work, school and other places they may need to be on a snowy day.
City crews prioritize main streets and path to hospital, airport
Brown started working for the city in 1986 and has been city superintendent since 1994. He said that from a city standpoint, snow-removal responsibilities are spread among the different departments based on need. They try to leave at least one on-call person in both the water and sewer department and the electric department for emergencies.
Brown said that for a typical snowfall, about six city workers are deployed to remove snow. Denver Street and Interocean Avenue are among the first cleared since they are Holyoke’s main roads and intersect downtown.
East Johnson Street is also one of the first roads targeted for snow removal. This is because it is a main route to Melissa Memorial Hospital and the airport, both of which city crews also clear of snow so the facilities are ready if a medical emergency occurs.
Click here to read the full article in our FREE Snow Day section.