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Topeka public works outlines response, shortfalls and upgrades after historic January storm
Summary
City officials said public works ran 24-hour operations during the Jan. blizzard, spending about $1.3 million citywide and identifying GPS tracking, contractor availability and communications as areas for improvement.
The Topeka City Council on Feb. 4 heard a detailed briefing from Public Works on the city’s response to a mid‑winter blizzard that dropped about 14 inches of snow and became one of Topeka’s largest single‑day storms.
Public Works Director Steve Grone told the council crews and contractors moved to 12‑hour shifts and operated 24 hours a day during the peak of the storm, prioritized arterial routes, bridges and emergency access, and later shifted contractors and city crews to neighborhood streets. The department’s direct costs for the event — through Jan. 17 — were “just under $1 million,” Grone said; when water, police, fire and facility costs are added the city’s total was “just over $1,300,000.”
City officials said the response succeeded in clearing major arterials and supporting emergency vehicles, but staff identified three major gaps: the city’s AVL/GPS truck‑tracking system was…
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