Snow has arrived in northwest Ohio.
The winter season started out cold, but relatively dry. There was rain, but there was no snow to be seen until late December.
For the Ohio Department of Transportation, it’s been an unusual start to their winter season.
“It’s the first year I can remember that we didn’t have major Christmas Eve or Christmas Day snow. In previous years, I had to go out and do interviews on Christmas,” Bowling Green Public Information Officer Rebecca Dangelo said.
The same can be said for the Bowling Green city government. Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter had to go over snow emergencies in a city council meeting on Jan. 18.
“I don’t think I ever talked about snow emergencies late in the year,” Tretter said.
Both entities have been keeping busy while waiting for the snowstorms to roll in.
Dangelo said ODOT had maintenance crews out doing normal fall and spring repairs. Their work ranges from ditch clearing, drainage work and pavement repairs.
The crews even got some mowing done in the early winter months. Dangelo said the mowing helped them stay on schedule after a wet fall prevented them from doing it earlier.
“Our crews are up for anything. Some of them are getting a kick out of mowing in November and December,” Dangelo said.
Public Works crew leader Rick Beaverson said they kept busy doing maintenance work around the city.
The work consisted of: taking care of the trash and recycling downtown, filling potholes and fixing equipment in their shop.
The division stuck to doing routine jobs while waiting for the snow to hit. They didn’t use the extra couple of snow-free months to get a headstart on any spring or summer project.
“These things are ongoing maintenance work that the department takes care of,” Beaverson said. “We aren’t really getting a jumpstart on it. We’ll be doing them all through spring, summer, fall and next year.”
For ODOT, Dangelo said crews have been doing some prep work for their future projects. They have been doing things like taking down trees for future construction projects.
The early prep work won’t have a huge impact on the timeline for the projects. They could be done days earlier than expected.
There is a fine line between the crews committing to doing prep work and being ready for whatever winter throws at them.
“They (crews) have to be cognizant of using the equipment. They can’t leave materials in the trucks for long periods of time because they have to be able to switch in either direction,” Dangelo said.
ODOT and Public Works are prepared for any snowstorm to hit Bowling Green.
Beaverson and Dangleo said their facilities are stocked with salt and brine for the season. They also said all the trucks were inspected and repaired if needed before the winter months.
Even with the delay in snowfall, no extra preparation was needed. For the city, they wait until the snow is incoming to have the trucks geared up with the snowplows.
“It’s a matter of a day before the storm comes, we will go through and start getting all the plows put on the trucks and getting everything ready for the storm event,” Beaverson said.
Beaverson also said the trucks are used after plowing to move the snow that may be in the middle of the street or in parking lots around the city.
ODOT will restock on salt and brine as the winter goes on, and this weather has been a money-saver for the city.
Dangelo Said at this time last year, 27,000 tons of salt had been used. This year, they have only used 10,000 tons of salt prior to the recent snowfall.
“We’re saving on materials, we’re saving on man-hours and our equipment is not getting used as much. Our cars not having as much wear-and-tear is a benefit as well,” Dangelo said.
With more snow on the horizon, citizens should be reminded of the snow guidelines in the city. A snow emergency will be declared when there are two inches of snow on the ground and more snow is expected.
Tretter said citizens should not park in the streets if possible to make it easier on the plows to do their jobs.
Beaverson advises citizens to be careful of the plows while on the streets. He said his drivers work day and night on snow removal.
“Our drivers do sometimes work long hours. You have to be cautious of the snowplows and give them plenty of room,” Beaverson said.
It is bound to snow more in northwest Ohio. Beaverson said he expects Mother Nature to return back to her normal self. For at least one of these crews, the idea of more snow to come excites them.
“There are a lot of them who are bummed that we haven’t had too much snow yet. They are hoping that as we go into February and March, we are going to make up for lost time,” Dangelo said.
