Local plow crews make progress despite criticism

Corey Farkas, manager of the Colorado Springs Streets Division, said crews have plowed 99 percent of the city’s streets and roads.

But that drew skepticism Tuesday from Shane Pilant, a resident of Oasis Butte Drive on the city’s northeast side.

“I’ve lived on this street since 2008 and I’ve never seen a plow come down (here),” he said. “Our street is pretty well overlooked. It’s a safety situation. We get into these situations where there’s just a single track. Vehicles aren’t able to move over or accommodate oncoming traffic.”

Pilant said he called the city several times to request that the street be plowed but got no response. A plow arrived Tuesday afternoon after KRDO NewsChannel 13 called a supervisor to discuss the matter.

Pilant was at work when the plow came but later said he’s pleased.

Mike Jacobsen, a neighbor, said people are overly critical of city plow crews.

“Clearing the streets took a long time,” he said. “But I think we just need to relax and have some patience and let them do their job the best they can.”

Crews have gradually cut back on 18-hour schedules as they catch up on removing a foot or more of snow that fell last week.

The city said crews will evaluate their performance after the plowing ends, and determine if they learned anything that can improve their response to a storm.