HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT POLICIES
Greenfield, New Hampshire
No: 2003-01 Date: October 16, 2003
Policy: Snow Removal and Ice Control
Governing Laws: RSA 231:92-a, RSA 507-B: 2-b,
Approval Date: October 16, 2003
Next Review Date: October 16, 2004
POLICY: It is the goal and intent of the Town of Greenfield to provide timely, efficient and cost-effective winter maintenance, snow removal and ice control on the roadways of the municipality for the safety and benefit of the Town’s residents and the general motoring public.
PROCEDURE: The objective stated above will be achieved by implementation and execution of the procedures and tasks outlined in the Town of Greenfield Winter Operations Snow Removal and Ice Control Procedures. Due to the many variables that are inherent in New England weather, each storm and/or weather event may require slightly different effort and/or emphasis on any number of maintenance tasks, which together, determine the overall winter maintenance, snow removal or ice control strategy.
LEVEL OF SERVICE: It is not possible to maintain a black snow and ice-free road or sidewalk during a storm. It is the intention of the Town to provide practical, safe access to homes, businesses and municipal facilities during winter storms. The Town of Greenfield does not have a bare roads policy and as such citizens and motorists should expect to find snow-covered areas during and after the winter storm.
It is our policy to start to conduct snow removal operations upon accumulations of two to three inches of snowfall, measured at the Greenfield Highway Department. The Road Agent or Public Works Director may, at his or her discretion based upon weather information reports, elect to not remove snow until greater or lesser accumulations. All routes will begin from the Highway Department and the operators will work systematically around their respective routes. No operator will leave his or her assigned route unless he/she has the approval of the Road Agent or his/her appointed designee.
Pre-treatment and ice control may be addressed prior to the actual storm beginning, during the actual storm as seen effective, and following the storm. It should be noted that salt has a much slower effect on melting snow and ice at temperatures below 25 degrees, and may not be applied until it is warmer.
After the storm has finished, treatment of the roads will begin when all the routes have been cleaned up. Treatment may consist of sand, sand/salt mix, or straight salt. The Road Agent or his/her designee will determine the most appropriate material to use based on current weather, expected weather, time of year and temperature.
During storms of a long duration, the Road Agent may elect to bring the crews in for a rest period, this rest period should occur late at night after the majority of traffic has ceased. This period will last no longer then 4 hours and may last for a shorter time period if weather conditions change. It will be the responsibility of all operators to be sure and get the needed rest during this period.
COMMAND: Direction of all winter maintenance activities for the Town of Greenfield is vested with the Road Agent or his or her designee.
EXECUTION: The policy outlined above is intended to serve as the normal operating procedures for winter maintenance, snow removal and/or ice control for the Town of Greenfield. One or more of the following, which may delay or prevent the implementation of this policy, may affect all or any part of this Policy:
Equipment Breakdown
Snow Accumulation in Excess of 1” Per Hour
Freezing Rain or Other Icing Conditions
Traffic Congestion
Emergencies
Personnel illness
ADOPTION:
The Town of Greenfield has adopted the Winter Operations Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy effective October 16, 2003 . All residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the content as it describes the condition that one might expect to encounter before, during and following a winter storm event.
Conrad B. Dumas, Chairman
George P. Rainier, Selectman
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BOARD OF SELECTMEN GREENFIELD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
WINTER OPERATIONS
SNOW REMOVAL AND ICE CONTROL PROCEDURES
(Includes Highway, Sidewalks, Parking Areas)
EQUIPMENT: The Highway Department utilizes all the assets of the department as needed to address snow emergencies. A list of the current rolling stock assets is included in the appendix.
ROUTES: Currently, the Town is divided into four major plow and/or treatment routes. All of the routes encompassing the Town’s major artery and collector roads are assigned to one each of the Town’s equipment. Additionally, there is one small truck with a 2-way plow used to assist in support of trucks assigned specific routes.
The Town uses a loader in the down town area to load snow for removal as it may restrict parking or line of sight distances at intersections. This evolution will occur after the storm is over, sometimes several days after the storm is over.
MANPOWER: The Town of Greenfield has Five (5) full-time personnel assigned to its winter maintenance operations.
MATERIALS: The Department uses approximately 200 tons of rock salt and 3000 cubic yards of sand each season. The sand is used as an abrasive and is applied to the road to improve the public’s motor vehicles traction. Salt is employed by the Department as a de-icing and anti-icing agent. The entire supply of sand is purchased each year and stockpiled besides the Highway Department’s building. Rock salt is purchased from a supplier as needed. A limited quantity of approximately 15 tons is stockpiled by the Highway Department.
APPLICATION OF MATERIALS:
A. SAND AND SAND/SALT MIX: Sand will be applied on an as needed basis. The main function of an application of sand will be to assist motorists in obtaining traction on ice or snow covered roads. Town wide sanding applications will not begin until after a storm is over and the cleanup is finished. If, during the storm, the plow driver encounters a slippery area then a light application may be applied to assist the motorists. Sand may be mixed with salt, at a rate of 10 parts sand to 1 part salt, to prevent the freezing of the sand inside the sander bodies. This mixture will also assist the sand in sticking to the ice-covered roadway. The sand will be applied to the center of the roadway. Sand will be applied at a rate of approximately 2 yards per mile of road.
B. SALT: Salt may be applied at the beginning of the storm, before plowing operations begin. Salt will be used to stop the formation of ice buildup on the roadways. Salt will only be used on those roads that have a sufficient enough traffic volume to work the brine across the roadway. Salt will be applied at a rate not to exceed 400 pounds per mile. Salt will be applied to the center of the roadway, where traffic will work the brine across the roadway. Salt has a lower working limit of approximately 15 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit; therefore no salt will be applied if the outside ambient temperature is below this limit. Other deicing agents are effective to lower temperatures, but cost and need for specialized equipment have forestalled their use at this time.
COMMUNICATIONS: The majority of the Public Works rolling stock is equipped with two-way radios capable of transmitting and receiving on a frequency of 156.045 MHZ. Each plow and equipment operator is assigned a unique call number. A list of all call numbers is displayed in each piece of equipment or truck. A copy of the current call numbers is included as an appendix to this policy. Radios are also maintained at the Highway Department garage. The Town of Greenfield contracts with Hillsboro dispatch for emergency communications, in an emergency they can be utilized to contact the Highway Department.
SCHOOLS: The Highway Department does not have the responsibility for the clearing of snow and winter treatment of the Town schools access road and parking lots. On days when school is in session, winter maintenance efforts must be timed to coincide with bus routing and delivery.
The school superintendent or designated official representative shall contact the Public Works Department to determine the condition of the municipality’s roads in order to determine the safety of students using school buses. The school representative(s) shall make the decision to cancel or postpone school for that day.
PARKING: The Town has enacted a winter parking ban effective from November 1st to April 1st of each year. This ban prohibits parking in or on the Town’s roads or rights of way (ROW) between the hours of 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The Town has the right to tow or ticket violators. The purpose of this winter parking ban is to allow winter maintenance crews unobstructed snow removal and ice control routes, as much as possible, to maintain the maximum effectiveness of their efforts.
PLOW ROUTE PRIORITIES: With a total of 50 miles of roads from which to remove snow and control ice and four pieces of equipment to handle this responsibility, the Highway Department has to assign priorities for winter maintenance route activity in order to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts for the motoring public.
A. School bus routes will be given the first priority during school days. Each plow route will ensure that the best possible snow clearance will be completed within one hour of the bus route time.
B. The Town Office Building and Police Station & Fire Station will be maintained as possible during business hours. Steps and walkways will be maintained as time and personnel permits, Town Office and Police Department staff will have to assist in keeping the steps and walkways clear during working hours. Public Safety is a very great concern in this area due to many cars and pedestrians in the area, but our limited resources will dictate our ability to maintain these areas.
C. Public parking areas at the Town Offices, and each municipal department, will be maintained by plowing during the winter storm. The application of slip resistant materials will be applied after the storm as determined to be needed by the Road Agent.
D. Transfer Station/Recycle Center: Transfer station personnel may be required to assist with the Town’s general winter maintenance operations. If the facility is open during the snow or ice storm, personnel will plow this area prior to opening for public use. Public areas shall be kept as clear as possible to provide as safe access as reasonably possible. Sand and other slip resistant materials shall be used in public areas. It often will not be possible to maintain clear ground, but a reasonable effort will be made during storms.
E. Fire Hydrants: Fire Hydrants will be cleared on an as needed basis and will not commence until the Water Commissioners have given approval
ROADS AND SIDEWALKS NOT RECEIVING WINTER MAINTENANCE: The Town of Greenfield does not maintain a number of roadways and sidewalks as part of its ongoing winter maintenance activities. The areas not maintained by the Town include:
a. Town roads classified as Class VI roads
b. Private roads
c. Forest Road – This is a State maintained Road
d. Crotched Mountain – This is a State maintained Road
e. School District sidewalks and parking areas, which are the responsibility of the school district.
f Parking Area and Side walks for The United States Post Office
SALT FREE AREAS: The Town of Greenfield has established the following roadways or portion of roadways as “salt free” areas. A “salt free” area is one in which the municipality has determined it will not use salt as part of its ice control efforts for winter maintenance. The budget only allows for salted sand. The usual & customary procedure for the Town of Greenfield is to not apply straight salt to any paved road within the Town of Greenfield before or after storms.
DAMAGE TO PRIVATE PROPERTY: It should be noted that the municipality isn’t held responsible for damage to private property that is located within the public right of way. The right of way (ROW) is often 50’ wide, and is often confused by property owners as their own property. In most cases, the ROW often extends 10 to 20 feet of either side of the paved or gravel road. Homeowners often cultivate extensions of their lawns, place mailboxes, erect fences or stonewalls in these areas, which improves the appearance of the street greatly, but is obstructive to good maintenance from being conducted on the roadway.
In the event of personal property damage, the Town of Greenfield 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.
SNOW OBSTRUCTION POLICY: The Town of Greenfield has in place a snow obstruction ordinance, a full copy of which will be attached to this document. If an operator finds a violation of this ordinance, he/she will contact the Road Agent and report the location of the alleged violation. The Road Agent will determine the most appropriate response to eliminate this hazard. The road Agent will document the incident and the remedial action that has been taken; a copy will be placed in the road files of any violations.
POST STORM OPERATIONS: As determined by the Road Agent, the snow banks resulting from the previous accumulations shall be pushed back, or shelved, using the plow and wing of the grader or other suitable equipment to make space for future snow storms.
Snow Removal from the Town Center: (The Area Around The Library and The Market) During the initial stages of the storm, only the roadways through the town center will be plowed, these will be plowed by NH DOT as this is their roadway (As parking areas along the businesses are free of parked vehicles, snow removal equipment may swing wider through the street to push back large amounts of accumulated snow.)
A. During the months of October 15th through April 15th snow removal of parking areas in the Town Center shall begin as soon as is practical after the storm.
1. No snow removal operations will be conducted in the area of vehicles until they have been removed.
SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL: All sidewalks will be done after the roads are cleared on straight time, as much as possible. In an effort of efficiency, sidewalk priority will be addressed in the following order:
A. Town Office, Police Department and the sidewalk to the Elementary School (including the Fire Department) will be done first.
B. The Town Hall, Church, Common and Library
C. The Old Main St./Forest Road sidewalk will be maintained last as this may require the grader to windrow snow for loading and hauling away. This would be most efficient during low traffic hours.
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