Those durn berms Wet dumper made plowing even tougher than usual

HAYDEN — Wednesday’s wet, heavy snowfall made the morning miserable for many a Hayden resident.

Being blocked in by berms compounded the consternation.

Judith Farrey lives on the east side of north Maple Street. City snowplows left a large snow barrier in front of her home Wednesday morning. She wasn’t alone in expressing some frustration.

“While we are retired, and fortunately don’t have to go to work or school, what would we do in the event of an emergency?” Farrey asked The Press while sharing a photo of her predicament. “I fear the emergency may be our heart attacks as we try to dig out of this.”

Farrey continued, “I realize this has been a relatively mild winter, but with modern equipment and techniques available, what excuse is there for burying driveways in dangerous piles of snow?”

Hayden public works director Alan Soderling said the city purchased three snow gates in the hopes of improving conditions at driveways during snow removal.

“The snow gates work with various degrees of efficiency depending on the snow depth, snow density, frequency and width of driveways as well as the alignment of the roadway,” Soderling told The Press. “They work very well in light fluffy snow and not as well in the wet heavy snow. The more snow we have and the more frequent the driveways and the greater the width of the driveways has a great impact on how well they work. The combination of these three elements results in a greater amount of snow having to be stored in a smaller area, which sometimes results in less-than-desirable results.”

He said the city doesn’t have a policy regarding driveways during snow removal.

“The city would love to be able to keep all of the driveways clear,” he said. “We attempt to do the best job we can while making sure the roadways are open for the general public.”

Soderling said that since 2 a.m. Wednesday, city workers had employed 13 pieces of equipment to remove the snow, including three front-end loaders with snow gates.

“Our operators pride themselves in attempting to do the best we can. In some locations and conditions it is difficult to meet the expectations the citizens have come to enjoy with this benefit,” he said.

Soderling said the biggest hindrance to minimizing snow berms at driveways is the cost of equipment. The specialized equipment must be used in pairs to effectively use the snow gates, he said.

Soderling added that cars parked along roads hamper snow removal efforts and add time to the process. He said getting the roads open Wednesday took a total of 140-150 man-hours, and he anticipated another 70-80 man-hours for follow-up removal today.