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WINTER OPERATIONS SNOW REMOVAL & ICE CONTROL POLICY

 

GENERAL POLICY:  The Village District of Eidelweiss believes it is in the best interest of the residents, and visitors alike, for the District to adopt a formal policy for the control of snow and ice on its roads.  Reasonable ice and snow control is necessary for routine travel and emergency services.  The District will provide such control in a safe and cost effective manner, keeping in mind safety, budget, personnel and environmental concerns.

Winter weather in the Mount Washington valley is difficult to predict.  It is estimated there are over 66,666 different variables affecting winter maintenance operations such as type of precipitation, air and pavement temperatures, traffic, wind, time of day, and day of week. The steep, narrow and winding roads in Eidelweiss offer their own unique challenge. Winter maintenance is considered an art, not a science.
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The District's Class V roads consist of approximately 4 miles of two lane pavement and 12 miles of two lane gravel.  The terrain varies from level in the areas adjacent to Route 113 and around the ponds, to grades as steep as 15% to nearly 20% while ascending Oak Ridge Road and Aspen Drive.   It is virtually impossible to provide bare roads during a winter storm and the Department does not attempt to do so.

Traffic volume and gradient are the primary factors in determining the level of winter maintenance service (effort) with the location of the water pumping stations also being an important factor.  Therefore Eidelweiss Drive and the steep paved roads are maintained in such a manner that pavement is bare and gravel roadways are cleared and sanded as soon as practical after the termination of a storm.

Every road has been given a priority classification.  The road’s surface type, gradient and traffic volume are the primary factors in determining the level of winter maintenance service.

LEVEL OF SERVICE:   It is impractical to develop specific rules on winter maintenance operations.   Due to numerous variables involved in winter storms, the judgment of the DPW Foreman governs the quantities and type of materials used to control snow and ice.

In general, the purpose of salt is to (1) reduce adherence of snow to the pavement and (2) keep the snow in a "mealy" condition and thereby permit nearly full removal by plowing.  Salt's effect is greatly reduced below 25° F and will not be applied until it is warmer.

 

The DPW  Foreman,  or his  designee, will  decide  when  to begin  snow  or ice  control operations based on the following  criteria: A.  Snow accumulation of 1 inch or more; B.  Drifting of snow that causes problems for traffic; C.  Icy conditions which seriously effect travel; and D.  Time of snow fall in relationship to heavy use of roads.

Snow and ice control operations are expensive and involve the use of limited personnel and equipment.  Consequently snow plowing operations may sometimes be limited to one vehicle during the normal off-duty hours when snowfall is limited to 1 inch or during the final clean-up.

PLOWING OPERATIONS:  Plowing operations are generally initiated after one inch of snow has fallen and continue until the storm has ended and the roads are deemed safe. Snow will be plowed in a manner so as to minimize any traffic obstructions. The center of the roadway will be plowed first.  The snow shall then be pushed from left to right.  The discharge shall go onto the shoulder area of the street. In times of extreme snowfall, roads will not always immediately be able to be completely cleared of snow.   Widening and intersection view clearing is performed following the storm, and generally during daylight hours when best visibility prevails.  Maximum speed for plowing operations is 15 MPH.

SNOW REMOVAL:  The DPW Foreman will determine when snow will be removed from areas where accumulated piles of snow create a hazardous condition. This will include removing  snow from narrowed roads,  pushing  back the corners  at intersections, and creating  "punch  outs"  in  the  snow  banks  to allow  runoff  to  escape.    Snow removal operations will not commence until other snow plowing operations has been completed. Snow removal operations may also be delayed depending on weather conditions, personnel and budget availability and availability of contracted equipment.

EQUIPMENT:  The Village District of Eidelweiss Department of Public Works utilizes all the assets of the department needed to address snow emergencies. A list of the current rolling stock assets is included in Appendix A.

SNOW-PLOW ROUTE:  The District roads have been divided into two primary routes (#1 and #2).   Each route is also subdivided into an "A" route (the steeper grades) and a "B" route (the level terrains). During heavy or severe storms the plow trucks will remain on the roads listed on the 1A and 2A routes. A third plow truck, when available, will assume the responsibilities of the 1B and 2B routes.  The plow routes are included in Appendix B.

PLOW ROUTE PRIORITIES: The District has approximately 60 Class V roads totaling 16 miles from which to remove snow and only two primary snow fighting vehicles to handle this task.  Therefore, the roads are prioritized in order to maximize the effectiveness of winter maintenance activities for the motoring public.

Under ideal conditions every road will be plowed during the completion of every plow route cycle.  A cycle takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to complete when 2 plow trucks are utilized.

However, equipment break downs, illnesses and fatigue, snow accumulations in excess of 1" per hour, freezing rain or other ice storm conditions, road obstructions, and emergencies can greatly increase the cycle time.  When any of these conditions exist the plow routes must be modified as follows:

 

A.  Eidelweiss Drive is the main thoroughfare for direct access into the District, school buses, emergency vehicles, and commuting traffic.  Therefore, this road gets plowed regularly as its assigned plow truck returns to it.

B.       Oak Ridge  Road and Appenvel Way (Playground Hill) to Aspen Drive to Bristenstock  Drive to Reinach  Drive provide  access  to the many drinking water pumping  stations  and various radio stations  (that are vital  for emergency management and local commercial operations) and must be kept open.

C.       Little Shore Drive, Middle Shore Drive, and Big loop are plowed during every cycle.   These roads and the roads mentioned above in A and B are the connecting link to almost every other road in the District.

D.       Other roads that are fairly level will be plowed every other cycle because they pose the least degree of difficulty to navigate.

E.       Plowing of dead end roads may need to be put on an every third cycle so the through roads can remain clear.   The time involved in plowing in, backing out, turning around, backing in, and plowing out takes valuable time away from other roads.   Plus the possibility of getting stuck is greater, further delaying the plowing.

F.  Several parking areas are maintained as overflow parking for homes with inadequate parking, and as emergency parking for those vehicles not able to make it their destinations. Every attempt will be made to keep these areas cleared without jeopardizing the plowing efforts of the roads.   The parking areas are listed in Appendix C.

MANPOWER: The Village District of Eidelweiss has two full-time employees assigned to the Department of Public Works.   In addition, a roster of part time snow-plow operators is maintained for employment during storms and the clean up period that follows.

COMMUNICATION: The majority of the Department of Public Works' rolling stock is equipped with two way radios capable of transmitting and receiving.  The District does not operate a 24-hour communication center.   Phone  calls  are  answered  by a messaging  service,  which  will  call the  DPW  Foreman   or  on-call  employee  if  an emergency exists.   Communication with the Town of Madison highway, police and fire departments can be made via the District cell phones.  In addition, the ability to communicate with Carroll County Sheriff Department and Ossipee Valley Mutual Aid can be handled via cell phone.

PARKING: The District enacts a 24 hour parking ban ordinance along all roads between October 15 and April 15.  The purpose of this ordinance is to allow the winter maintenance crews unobstructed snow removal and ice control routes and to maintain the maximum effectiveness of their efforts.   An effort will be made to request that the owner of an illegally parked vehicle move their vehicle before the District has it towed, at the owner's expense.

 

ROAD OBSTRUCTIONS: It is important to note that it is unlawful to put or place snow and/or ice in the traveled portion of any District road. If pedestrians, property owners, or vehicles cause obstructions to snow removal operations, the District's winter maintenance operators are encouraged to request cooperation.    Otherwise, the operator is expected to call the Police for assistance.  The operator is cautioned to avoid confrontation at all possible costs.  The property owner is to be the responsible party for any snow dumping violations.

District vehicles shall not be used to push or tow a private vehicle. Operators are advised against leaving the District vehicle to physically assist a motorist where bodily injury to the employee may result.  The operator may, at their discretion, place sand to assist the vehicle.

SHOVELING: Shoveling will be done in the following order of priority; 1.  Water pumping stations. 2.  Fire hydrants. 3.  Roofs as needed. 4.  Public Buildings, i.e. DPW office, Lodge, mailbox area.

Shoveling is only done after a storm and only after all plowing and cleanup is completed.

ROADS NOT RECEIVING WINTER MAINTENANCE: Class VI roads, private roads, and private driveways do not receive winter maintenance activities.

POST  STORM  OPERATION: As determined  by  the  Public  Works Foreman,  or his designee, the snow banks resulting from the previous accumulation shall be pushed back, shelved,  and/or  removed  using  the  plow  and  wings  of  the  trucks  or  other  suitable equipment to make space for future snow storms.  "Punch-outs through the snow banks will also be made during this period to give rain or melting snow access to the drainage swales.  The   hiring   of outside   contractors   is at the   discretion of the Board of Commissioners based upon storm forecasts, budget restraints, and unforeseen circumstances such as out-of-service equipment or employee fatigue.

DAMAGE TO  PRIVATE  PROPERTY: It  should  be  noted  that  the  Village  District  of Eidelweiss is not held responsible for damage to private property that is located within the public right of way (ROW). The District's ROW is actually deeded land that is 40' in width and extends the length of every road.  In most cases, this ROW   often extends approximately 10' from the maintained edge of the road to the private property line. This area is often confused by property owners as their property. Homeowners often cultivate extensions of their lawns, place newspaper boxes, erect fences or stonewall in these areas, which improves the appearance of the street greatly, but is obstructive to good maintenance being conducted on the roadway.

In the event of personal property damage, the District will only be responsible to repair or replace damaged property having been in actual contact with the snow removal equipment that is on private property and not within the public right of way.

 

 

Appendix A: Rolling Stock

Truck 1  2005 GMC Top Kick Truck 2  2012 Ford F-550 Truck 3  2010 International 7400 Equip 1  1999 Cat 416-C loader / backhoe with multi-purpose bucket

Truck 1 is assigned Route 1

Truck 2 is assigned Route 2   Truck 3 is assigned the B sub-routes when necessary Truck 3 can be used as a substitute vehicle or may assist trucks 1 & 2 when manpower is available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B: Plow Routes

Route 1 – A      Route 1-B Oak Ridge Road     Eidelweiss Drive – Rte 113 to end of pavement St. Moritz Drive     Little Shore Drive Basil Street      Huttwil Drive Chocorua View Drive    Bern Drive Whittier View Place     Sarnen Road Clemens Place     Lucerne Drive Presidential View Drive    Alpenhof Road Klausen Road     Barden Place Forclaz Road      Como Street Upper Lake View Drive Old Town Road West Bergamo Road Schwyz Street Visp Road Lake View Road Porridge View Road

Route 2 – A       Route 2 – B Aspen Drive      Eidelweiss Drive – pavement end to VDOE line Jungfrau Road     Little Loop Road Appenvel Way     Grachen Drive Bristenstock Drive     Winnegon Road – downhill travel only Reinach Road     Bergdorf Drive Adelboden Way     Grison Road Biasca Place      Konstanz Place Salins Road      Middle Shore Drive Lugano Road     Geneva Place Thusis Road      Interlaken Circle Porridge Shore Drive    Altdorf Road Waldsbut Road     Big Loop Road East Bergamo Road    Diessbach Drive Blinden Drive

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix C: Winter Emergency Parking Areas

Huttwil Drive Parking Lot – passed mailbox area Eidelweiss Beach – basketball court area Boulder Beach – 1st beach on Eidelweiss Drive (limited to 4 spaces) Lodge Parking Lot – summit of Oak Ridge Road

 

 

Adoption:  The Village District of Eidelweiss has adopted the Winter Operations Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy and Procedures effective January 11, 2002.  All residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the content as it describes the conditions that one might expect to encounter before, during, and following a winter storm event.

The Village District of Eidelweiss has adopted the amendments to the Winter Operations Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy and Procedures effective November      2013

 

 

Ronald Sandstrom

 

Mark Graffam

 

Michael Smith

Board of Commissioners Village District of Eidelweiss

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