Elgin public works passes first test of the season

Yes, it's that time again.

As snow fell upon the Fox Valley Sunday and Monday, the Elgin Public Works department undertook its first test of the season.

"Overall it went well," city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said. "I think some of the trainings and things helped us find our trouble spots."

In response to years of complaints, the city spent much of the fall updating and reorganizing snow removal practices.

In September, public works employees attended two full-day workshops focused on best practices in winter operations.

Private firms are now charged with plowing the city's parking lots and cul-de-sacs, Elgin General Services Director Dave Lawry said.

More drivers are now free to operate larger trucks along the city's newer and more numerous snow routes.

While last year there were just 17 snow routes, now there are 22, Lawry said. Three of the new routes run exclusively along major roads.

The city also aims to plow to the curb within 12 hours after a storm of 4 to 8 inches. For snows less than 4 inches, the plow time is six hours; for snows of 8 inches or more, the standard is 24 hours.

"All in all the idea is to get people active earlier," he said.

For the most part, Lawry said, routes were finished on time, with few problems to report.

The public works department is still waiting on 11 new snowplows to arrive, Lawry said.

Other than that, "there was nothing really devastating. We do have some new guys and new routes. We're experiencing the growing pains of that," he said. "The (light) snowfall that we had was good to try on for size."