Great Bend City Council members expressed satisfaction with snow removal efforts that occurred this month, saying the type of snowstorm that hit Barton County is rare.
City Administrator Howard Partington listed what was done from Feb. 3-17, with the next step being pothole repair.
“We just need to raise the budget if you want to prepare for an 8-10 year snow every year,” Partington said. If the city hires more personnel, it will also need to purchase more equipment.
“I thought it was a job well done,” Mayor Mike Allison said.
The city used three motor graders, three front-end loaders, a single axel dump truck with snow plow and three tandem dump trucks purchased from the State — two with salt spreaders and plows and one with a plow only. When hauling off snow the city uses two front-end loaders and seven dump trucks.
On Feb. 3, equipment was prepared for the coming snow storm and the city mixed an additional 60 tons of sand and salt.
Feb. 4, the city had approximately 9 inches of snow and street crews worked from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day and the next day.
Feb. 6 and 7 they worked from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Feb. 10, there was another 4 inches of snow overnight. Crews started sanding and salting at 4:30 a.m. and continued to work to around 10 p.m. After 5 p.m. they had two snow plows continuing to work on residential complaints they were receiving.
Feb. 11 saw work start at 6 a.m. and crews hauled snow until 6 p.m. A motor grader and snow plow were out all day until 9 p.m. working on residential complaints.
Feb. 12-14, workers started at 6 a.m. and hauled snow until 5 p.m. daily.
Feb. 15, the patching unit worked on potholes.
Feb. 17, they continued to haul snow. They should be finished today.
During the course of the two storms, the city used over 60 tons of sand and salt and worked 261.5 hours of overtime.