December 8, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins streets after storm – Bigfoot99 file photo
Last year’s heavy snowfall prompted Rawlins officials to create a comprehensive plan for city-wide snow removal.
During the December 5th Rawlins city council meeting, Public Works Director Cody Dill said he was asked by City Manager Tom Sarvey to create a comprehensive emergency management plan for snow removal. Dill said he worked with Rawlins Fire Chief Blain Schumacher to formulate the emergency plan.
Dill said the snow removal plan establishes what the city will do in the event of a weather emergency. The public works director said on City Manager Sarvey’s command, an emergency headquarters would be established in the city hall to coordinate snow removal across the city.
Dill said the comprehensive snow removal plan dictates what will happen when certain snowfall thresholds are met. The public works director said more than a foot of snow will cause the city to form a snow removal taskforce to ensure the roads are cleared as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Dill said the comprehensive emergency management plan also contains a list of all city-owned snow removal equipment and employees trained to run them.
Councilwoman Jacquelin Wells asked Dill if he consulted with Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman. Councilwoman Wells said Layman already has a facility set up to handle emergency situations. Dill said Layman would already be involved in a large-scale snow emergency. The public works director said his command headquarters would focus on coordinating snow removal efforts with city residents.
Councilman Chris Weisenburg said he is worried about pulling people from other departments to clear snow. Councilman Weisenburg said people unfamiliar with snow removal may damage the city’s streets.
Dill said only trained streets department employees will run the city’s snow removal equipment. The public works director said other departments will handle less dangerous jobs.
Mayor Terry Weickum thanked Dill and the streets department for working hard to keep the city open as much as possible last winter. Mayor Weickum said he hopes the new snow removal comprehensive emergency management plan will not be needed.
