It’s not even Halloween yet but the City of Spokane is preparing for a snowy winter. On Monday it announced its new snow removal plan.
The biggest change from last year’s snow plan addresses snow berms in front of residential driveways.
Over the summer, the city doubled its number Hi-Gate devices which attach to plows. It now has 16. Those devices can close to stop snow from being pushed into driveways and blocking in cars.
The city also bought two front-end loader vehicles, which are used for plowing.
The rest of the snow protocol is pretty much the same. The city is asking residents to park on the odd side of the street from Nov. 15 through March 15.
"Now, sometimes there’s no parking on the odd side, or sometimes someone might have a disability and no off-street parking," said City Council Member Breean Beggs, chairperson of the public works committee. "So, use common sense. Try to keep all the cars on one side of the street."
RVs and boats are prohibited from parking anywhere on the street, and could be towed if they aren’t removed by Nov. 15. Parking downtown overnight isn’t allowed during heavy snow so arterials and parking spaces can be cleared.
Plows will go out daily on weekdays if more than an inch of snow is on the ground. A full city plow will be initiated if snowfall is more than that. Round-the-clock plowing would be completed in about three days.
To keep walkways clear, plows will operate further from curbs and homeowners are asked to shovel sidewalks after snowfall. Those who are unable to shovel their sidewalks can call 311 to get help.
Mayor David Condon said citizen feedback from last year’s plan was positive.
"While we can’t predict exactly when and how the snow will come, we are pleased to provide a plan that is flexible and serves the needs of our citizens and their feedback over the last couple years," he said.
For information about plow progress, residents can check social media, watch Cable 5 or go online for maps of progress.
New snow plan details will be included in November utility bills.