By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Road crews stayed busy keeping up with snow removal this past week, a task becoming more difficult with more streets and fewer staff, the city Public Works department says.
“Just recognizing we’re becoming lean and mean and doing more with less,” Director Michael Harmon said.
But he said crews ran at “full tilt” this week to keep the roads, parking lots and sidewalks cleared, while responding to problem areas as calls came in.
As Sitka continues to dig out, the forecast calls for possibly some more snow during the night.
“Amounts will be fairly minimal, a rain-snow mix – you’ll stay in that mix tomorrow,” said Grant Smith, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Juneau. “Going into tomorrow and Wednesday, the main front will pass through and we’ll see more of a showery pattern, on-and-off type rain and snow.”
Later in the week, forecasters are looking at the next stronger front coming in Friday with some lower temperatures returning and possibly snow in the mix, he said.
Harry Greene, city maintenance and operations superintendent, reported his crews are working overtime because the city has no contractors for snow removal.
“A request for bids was put out for snow removal for school and harbor parking lots that was due November 9. However, there were no responses,” an email to the Sentinel said.
Melissa Henshaw, city public and government relations director, said that after an inch of snow fell on Sunday, two sand trucks were dispatched, as well as plow trucks for snow removal. The trucks were out for a couple of hours on Sunday and took care of the hills by scraping snow and sanding them, she said.
Greene relayed that today the crews were focusing on clean-up.
“Streets crew came in a 3 a.m. to take care of the school routes and parking lots. (Tuesday) the streets crew will come in early, too, and work on opening up downtown,” the city’s email said.
Harmon said handling the task of snow removal has become increasingly challenging in the last five to eight years, with two positions cut, no temporary employees, and no interest in snow removal contracts.
He said a few lean snow years contributed to today’s lack of interest, since contractors would purchase equipment and hire staff expecting to be called in for plowing school and harbor parking lots.
Now the city is left with the job, which has become a larger obligation with the addition of new roads, including the road to SEARHC, Kramer Avenue, Harbor Mountain Bypass, Alice Loop, Indian River subdivision and the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.
The state is in charge of snow removal on state roads, including Halibut Point Road, Sawmill Creek Road and the road to the airport. But Harmon said the city helped clear the Sawmill Creek-Halibut Point Road roundabout when the state couldn’t get to it over the weekend, and some noticed private citizens salting the intersection on their own.
“We know the state is spread super thin – they’re in a tough spot,” Harmon said.
The lack of contractors for snow removal is a recent trend. After no bidders responded in 2019, city staff received feedback on what might be more appealing in an Request for Proposals. But after retooling the request, the city came up empty again in 2020 and again this year.
Harmon said in light of the short-staffing situation – and the fact that the crews have other duties besides snow removal – he’s asking for public “patience and preparedness” when it comes to keeping roads cleared and the public safe.
“The crew is doing an outstanding job utilizing the resources they have to the fullest extent possible,” he said. “Snow tires, staying home when you can, utilizing delivery services for food are good examples (of how the public can help).”
