Local crews have different responses to late Sunday band of snow

As a band of additional snow formed over Castle Rock late Sunday, street and road crews in Colorado Springs and El Paso County responded differently.

Jack Ladley, Colorado Springs’ public works operations manager, said supervisors thought the band would dissipate before moving south.

“What it did was intensify on us,” he said. “It came in hard at around 5:30 (Sunday) evening and gave us another inch-and-a-half to 2 inches pretty quickly.”

Ladley said plow crews, who thought their storm response was almost over, had to start over again — which meant many streets and roads were too snowpacked or icy to be safe for driving.

The situation led to schools and other activities changing from schedule delays to cancellations or closures.

Although most major roadways were clear by Monday evening, because of slightly warmer temperatures and sunshine that melted snow, Ladley expected city crews to remain on duty until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, county crew supervisors saw the snow band differently.

“We sort of expected that we’d get it,” said Troy Wiitala, the county’s public works highway manager. “So we were ready for it. We kept all 36 crews on duty. It means a lot of overtime, but it’s necessary to get the job done.”
The different strategy means county crews planned to scale back their storm response by Monday evening.

Chris Howard, a city snow manager, is one of five supervisors who drive around to assess the condition of streets and roads.
“We do it visually and electronically,” he said, pointing to a gauge that measured air temperature and pavement temperature. “That helps us to know when salt and other materials will begin to work their best.”
City and county supervisors, however, agree that the sun is their most effective tool in snow removal.

Ladley and Wiitala graded their crews’ storm response.

“I’d give us an A before the late snow band and a C after,” Ladley said. “You never know what Mother Nature will do.”

“I’d give us an A,” Wiitala said. “I always give us an A for effort, just for going out there. “As long as we’re trying, that’s all we can do.”On Sunday, Ladley sent around 10 plows to clear snow from several midtown residential streets — something that normally is done only when those streets have six or more inches of snow.