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City staff reviews response to Jan. 5 snowstorm; long event and sleet mix cited for problems
Summary
Public works staff told the committee the Jan. 5 snow-and-sleet event was unusually long and heavy, stressing contractors and equipment; staff recommended a formal snow policy, treated salt, and spreader upgrades to improve future responses.
Public works staff reviewed Wildwood’s response to an 8-inch winter event in early January, telling the Administration & Public Works Committee the combination of heavy snow and sleet and the storm’s length made clearing difficult and exposed gaps in contractor performance and communications.
Public works staff said the city manages roughly 350 lane miles across 28 snow routes with five contractors (Tee Hill, Kelp, Westfall, Go Green and Omni). Staff said pre-treating streets the day before the heaviest snow helped, but the unusual mix of sleet and heavy snow during the storm made cul-de-sacs and some side streets difficult to clear once the storm intensified. Staff said the event exceeded 24 continuous hours, which stressed equipment and crews and led to delay and variable quality in some neighborhoods.
Street superintendent Scott Hubbell (named in the briefing) and city staff described the operational approach: focus first on main roads and primary subdivision streets, then return to secondaries when conditions allow. Staff recommended the city adopt a formal written snow policy for consistent expectations, consider treated (colored) salt to improve tracking and reduce overall salt use, and equip more plow trucks with salt spreaders to improve efficiency.
Committee members praised the crews and contractors for work in a difficult event but asked staff to tighten contractor oversight, improve communications during multi-day storms and consider small on-call technical assistance from traffic and engineering consultants to tune operations. The committee asked staff to return with a proposed snow policy draft for review.
Ending: Staff said they will draft a snow-removal policy and explore equipping more trucks with salt spreaders and using treated salt to improve traceability and environmental outcomes; no formal vote was required for the informational update.
