ROCKLAND, Maine — The predicted Blizzard of 2015 will be the first major test of a new policy adopted by the city to reduce plowing on side streets and focus instead on the more heavily traveled roads.
The policy to hold off plowing side streets until 3 inches of snow has fallen appears to put Rockland in a minority among Maine communities, in terms of using an inch count.
The city council met late last fall with the public works director to discuss ways to reduce the expenses of keeping roads and sidewalks open during winter weather events. Out of those discussions came the unwritten 3-inch policy for side roads.
The former president of a statewide organization of public works officials said he is unaware of any other community doing the same.
“Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone else that has such a policy,” Robert Burns, past president of the Maine chapter of the American Public Works Association and current public works director in Gorham, said.
Bangor Public Works Director Dana Wardwell said his department does not base when plows go out on an inch count. He said every storm is different, and he would not want to restrict his crews with such a practice.
Presque Isle Public Works Director Dana Fowler said the city’s crews go out when snow begins to accumulate. He said if crews waited for a couple of inches, it would pack down and make it more difficult to clear the roads.
Interim Rockland City Manager Tom Luttrell said that in past years, the city had an unofficial policy to have bare roads.
“This year, we are handling the priority roads that way but letting snow build up on the side streets and addressing them after 3 inches of snowfall,” Luttrell said Monday. “We are also cutting back on sand. The side streets that are flat will most likely not see sand after the storm.”
Rockland Public Works Director Greg Blackwell said he received one complaint Saturday from a resident who lives on a dead-end street about the reduced level of plowing on his street. He said the resident who complained pointed out he pays as much in property taxes as people who live on the main roads and it was unfair he gets a lower level of service.
“My hands are tied,” Blackwell said about the new policy directive.
Blackwell said several police officers also voiced concerns about the side streets in town being plowed less frequently because they were becoming difficult to drive on.
Burns said that while there may not be formal policies across the state, communities tend to focus on the more heavily traveled roads first and plow the side streets less frequently.
He said the plowing of side streets during average storms is done when the snow is plowable, which he considers 1 inch or more. During a blizzard, as is predicted for Tuesday, he said that will not be possible because of the rate of snowfall that will require attention on the main roads.
Rockland took the action in an effort to reduce costs as the budget tightens with declines in state revenue sharing.
Luttrell said thus far the public works department is well within budget. Blackwell agreed but said the predicted blizzard, as well as another storm expected Friday, could put costs well above average.
The department has budgeted $41,000 for overtime for the entire year for its employees, which largely is used during the winter. Another $65,000 is budgeted for salt and $28,000 for sand.
Burns said that in Gorham, despite more roads being accepted for maintenance, the department has not expanded personnel over the past 12 years. He said that from conversations he has had with other municipal public works officials, departments statewide have either maintained the status quo or declined during the past decade because of budget tightening.
This comes as the cost of salt and fuel — until the recent decline — doubled during that period. The cost of asphalt and vehicle maintenance also have increased over the years, adding more pressures to public works budgets, he said.
In Rockland, the priority roads include Broadway, Camden, Main, South Main, Limerock, Maverick, Park, Union and Old County. The city has a crew of 13 people who work during snowstorms, Blackwell said.
The Rockland public works director said the new policy thus far has not been much of a problem because there has been so little snow, other than an early November storm and the snowfall this past weekend.