After massive snowfall, crews have been working overtime getting the streets and parking lots cleared. But as snow is carted off by the dump truck, where does it all go?
Most of it is being piled in the lot at the Webster City Street Department, said supervisor Brandon Bahrenfuss.
Normally it’s piled up next to the wastewater treatment plant next door, but space has run out, Bahrenfuss said.
“We have a big lot. We are the tree and grass site,” he said. “We’re making room.”
Next to the mulch and piles of sand, contractors are driving their trucks in to dump snow into the lot, free of charge, Bahrenfuss said.
It doesn’t often get this full of snow.
“I’ve worked here about 10 years, and I’ve only seen it this way one other time,” he said.
“I cannot say enough about my guys. They put in a lot of hard work, long hours, stressful days that have been pretty tough on them,” Bahrenfuss added. ” So now we’re trying to stick to the 7 to 4 routine.”
Roads are still rough in the central part of town, Bahrenfuss said, but crews are doing their best to keep up as the weather allows.
“Not everyone realizes, I need temperatures above 20 and I need sun for the salt to activate and start melting the snow,” he said. “Otherwise I’m just throwing away salt and not doing anything.
“We’ve had a snowblower, two graders, a tractor, a backhoe, plow trucks here and there, out every day since Sunday. We are definitely making progress. I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, however we still have a lot to do.”
As of Thursday, Bahrenfuss was hoping more scraping could be done to downtown streets this morning.
The National Weather Service on Thursday listed a 60 percent chance of snowfall this afternoon, and a 30 percent chance of snow Saturday, but with little or no accumulation expected.
Click to view this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: March 1, 2019