Colorado Springs mayor defends snow removal crews

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers says city street crews don’t deserve the public criticism they received after two storms in the same week last month.

Suthers responded Thursday to criticism that the Streets Division was slow and inefficient in responding to the storms.

Much of the criticism stems from the fact that people wanted side streets plowed, he said, and that doesn’t happen until there is more than six inches of snow on them.

“When you’re talking about (prioritizing) snow removal on neighborhood streets, you’re talking about a lot of money, a lot of resources,” Suthers said.

Wind-driven snow and ice accumulation, the mayor said, are two factors making snow removal more challenging this season.

“Our water table is so high that believe it or not, we’re getting water coming out of the ground, going across roads, freezing,” he said. “We’ve actually got some equipment out right now, chopping the ice.”

Suthers said he believes crews are doing the best job they can while using limited resources.

In other matters, Suthers said he expects announcements soon that will improve airport traffic and make the city the leading cyber-security center in the nation.