If all the white stuff covering Niverville streets this past December had you seeing red, you’re not alone. Snow-clearing, or the lack thereof, has been a big topic of discussion this winter with some claiming the town hasn’t been quick or thorough enough to clean the streets after recent snowfalls.
However, Niverville’s mayor says that although he hears you, he thinks the town’s snow removal plan held up pretty well under some very tough circumstances.
“We need to put this thing in perspective,” explains Mayor Myron Dyck. “We had the most snow in December in 100 years.”
Indeed, most municipalities in southern Manitoba, both big and small, reported struggling with snow removal after a number of major storms hit the region in the final month of 2016.
That didn’t stop angry residents from airing their grievances to town officials as well as on social media.
Dyck says he understands the frustration. “There’s obvious challenges. People want to know how come you’re not prepared. They say, why don’t you get more equipment, find more people, hire more people?”
For Dyck, town council, and the Public Works Department, the challenge is to do the best job possible without blowing the budget. While snow removal is a big issue right now, recent break-ins have amplified calls for a different and more expensive policing model. Then there’s the threat of flooding this spring. When the water starts to rise, some will be asking about drainage. In the end, there just isn’t the money for it all—not without raising taxes anyway.
“The work itself has gone on the best we can with the equipment we have and the staff we have. The guys are working hard and the equipment has operated as it’s supposed to,” says Dyck.
The snow-clearing strategy in Niverville goes something like this.
The main roads get done first. Though Main Street and Fifth Avenue are technically provincial responsibilities, the town has a contract with the province to remove the piles of snow.
Arterial roads are next. In Niverville, that means Hampton Drive and St. Andrews Way. Next, the crescents are cleared and the mountains of snow are taken away. Then the clearers get to widening the roads, removing the windrows, and scraping the roads. Somewhere in there, the sidewalks get done too.
Problems arise when more snow falls, or when snow blows into the main roads before the crews get to the rest of the work. Then it’s back to square one.
Lindsay Salonius has been living on Ashcroft Cove since moving to Niverville from Calgary three years ago. She says she’s noticed a difference in the condition of the streets this year.
“In past years they’ve cleaned the street to the curb,” she says before adding that the lack of drainage has caused her street to be treacherous to walk on. “I pray for my life taking my dog for a walk.”
Salonius gushes about how much she loves living in Niverville and she wouldn’t mind a little extra money going into snow-clearing when the situation calls for it.
“You can see that maybe corners were cut to stay within budget,” she concludes.
While widening is a big concern for Salonius, windrows were the main source of anger for many others. If hardened chunks of snow and ice at the end of your driveway could be melted with Facebook rage, the streets of Niverville would have been flooded by New Year’s Day.
Again, Dyck is sympathetic. “The solution is to have one piece of equipment follow another piece of equipment and clean those windrows as we go,” he says. “But how much time does that take? Resident A gets great service, but Resident P down the line might not get his street cleaned.”
Dyck points out that if the ploughs leave a two- or three-foot wall at the end of your driveway, they will come clean it up. Additionally, getting to those windrows is in the public works strategy, but most residents have removed them by the time the town gets there.
Finally, the mayor reminds us that in the end we are the kind of town where people take care of each other.
“We have individuals in this town [volunteering to help] seniors and people who are mobility challenged, helping residents that cannot help themselves.” Dyck adds that if you know someone in town who could use some help with snow removal on their property, you can contact the Niverville Ministerial and they will help set up some assistance.
Dyck also wants people to know that the town is listening. They are always looking for ways to improve services, and direct resident feedback is a big part of that process.
