Kalispell plow drivers tackle busy snow season on 114 miles of city streets
A snow plow clears 2nd Avenue E N on Friday afternoon in Kalispell. City Street Foreman Clint Speer said there is no feasible way for the snow plows to plow or skip nine thousand driveways. As things currently stand 10 employees cover routes that take between 30 and 34 hours to clear. When storms set in all employees work two 13 plus hour days to get their routes clear.
Josh Williams plows Three Mile Drive on Thursday afternoon in Kalispell.
Josh Williams gets a call from dispatch about an intersection that drivers say is slick and in need of sanding on Thursday afternoon in Kalispell. City Street Foreman Clint Speer said the crews wrapped up around 7 p.m. on Thursday and began clearing again at 4 a.m. on Friday.
It takes 2 1/2 days to get Kalispell streets clear after a major snowstorm.
That’s the word from Clint Speer.
Speer instituted a new policy after taking over as city street foreman two years ago. Previously it took seven to nine days to clear the streets.
The key is giving each driver a specific area to cover. That way they come to know their areas and can get done faster, he said.
Speer, 42, has worked for the city for nine years. The Kalispell native is one of a 10-person crew that gets out at either 2 or 4 a.m. when snow falls.
The core group is helped by eight to 10 workers from the water or sewer departments.
These employees work 12- or 14-hour shifts when it snows. It takes 35 hours to complete each route or section of the city, Speer said.
The street department has four road graders primarily used downtown and eight plow trucks that are used in residential neighborhoods. Five or six dump trucks are put into duty once the snow piles up. That’s where the extra city employees help out. A snow blower is used to deposit snow into a dump truck before it’s hauled away.
There are 114 miles of city streets to plow. It takes a plow four or five passes to get to the curb, Speer said.
The toughest parts of the snow-plowing operation are several hills, including Meridian Road, East Evergreen Drive and Woodland Park Drive.
The city plows from Church Drive on the north to Old School Drive (near Fun Beverage) on the south, and from West Spring Creek Road (near Heaven’s Peak subdivision) on the west to Leisure Drive on the east.
Regular winter maintenance includes depositing magnesium chloride if the temperature is above 20 degrees. If it’s below 20, a mixture of sand and salt is used.
“We use 800 to 1,200 gallons per day [of magnesium chloride] if it’s real slick,” Speer said.
Although 95 percent of the public is supportive of the city’s efforts, “we get a lot of complaints with driveways plugged up.”
Speer said it’s impossible for the city to clear blocked driveways for the 9,000 residences in the city.
“I’d like to see more public participation,” he said. One possibility is a Boy Scout shoveling out a resident’s driveway for a small fee. “Maybe church groups could help elderly people,” he added.
If it snows on a resident’s garbage pickup day, it’s likely the street won’t be completely plowed until the next day, he said. The city will plow the center of the street to make it passable, but can’t go to the curb because it would knock over the garbage bins.
Speer requests that drivers stay back at least 100 feet from snow plows. If the plow dumps sand, it can break a windshield, he said. And blind spots on the plow driver’s field of vision mean they might not see someone when they back up.
This is especially necessary this year, he said. “This winter is an exceptional snow year so far.”
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.