Council considering options for snow berms

Tim Collins, city manager pro-tem, looked into three options for dealing with the snow berms in response to concerns raised by Councilor Beverly Calder and others.

Collins said Police Chief Wyn Lohner confirmed that the berms are a hazard, particularly when snow is pushed back from the intersection and the height of the berm restricts visibility.

“Because I agree to a large degree with Chief Lohner’s comments, I instructed the Public Works Department to remove most of the knobs that are formed by pushing the snow back from intersections and driveways,” Collins said.

The city staff tracked the cost of removing the snow knobs after the snowstorm in late December and projected it would cost between $2,000 and $2,500 per storm to haul away that snow, Collins said.

Based on an average winter, Collins estimated it would cost the city between $6,000 and $10,000 annually “to remove the more serious hazards created by the berms.”

“Certainly a level of snow removal is required — we live in Eastern Oregon, but we must be mindful of the limited dollars available for snow removal while still being able to maintain streets throughout town the remainder of the year,” Owen wrote.

“Baker City is fortunate to have wide streets for its main thoroughfares. This has allowed crews to form windrows of snow (snow berms) in the center of the street, while still having room for the traveling public. Alternatives to this practice can be considered,” Owen wrote.

So far, Owen said the city has spent about half the $73,000 it budgeted for snow and ice removal this fiscal year, “and we have a long way to go before we are out of plow season.”

 Collins presented the City Council a list of three alternatives for dealing with snow berms.

• Option 1 calls for leaving the snow berms in place until the temperatures warm enough that crews can push some of the snow into the street to aid in melting.

• Option 2 calls for removing the taller knobs of snow at intersections.

•  Option 3 would instruct crews to completely remove berms after they’ve been plowed.

Collins recommended Option 2.

However, the Council directed the staff to further study snow removal costs and alternatives, including the possibility of getting a snow blower like the ones used in La Grande, Wallowa and Enterprise, which pick up snow as it is plowed to the center of the street and blow it into the back of a dump truck, similar to a corn harvester.

Calder, who requested the staff report, said she was pleased with the report.

“This year in addition to safety issues, I can tell you (the snow berms) have affected our economics,” Calder said.

She said due to the snow berms, delivery trucks can’t make deliveries or make turns in some downtown areas.

“I realize there is a cost to it, but I will never believe we have to choose between berm removal and filling potholes,” Calder said.

Calder said she was following the horse-drawn hay ride wagon downtown last Friday, whose passengers included Gov. Ted Kulongoski and his wife, Mary Oberst.

Calder said the snow berms were so wide and tall that traffic was backed up behind the wagon.

“It was hard to pass with the berms,” Calder said. “It would be great if we could make a plan so we would not have that problem (or the disruption of commerce downtown).”

Councilor Milo Pope said he sees no reason for the Council to get involved with decisions about snow berm removal because he believes the Public Works Department and the Police Department can figure out the best policy.

“Just let the Public Works Department and the Police Department figure this out and do what they need to do,” Pope said.

As for problems the snow berms might be causing downtown businesses, Pope said, “It is unnecessary for this Council to fuss about stores.”

Tom Fisk, the city’s street supervisor, said the city plows snow to the center of the street on 82 thoroughfares and arterials.

If the Council provided the direction and money, Fisk said the Public Works crew could haul away the snow berms from most of those areas in about three days.

Fisk said if the Council wants public works to remove the berms, the best time is when the snow is fresh, before thaw-and-freeze cycles have coated the snow with a hard ice crust.

Contract workers could be hired in the event city staff are called away to work on emergency city issues, Fisk said.

“If directed to haul off more berms I think we should use city forces first, then if necessary, use contracted labor,” Fisk said.

Fisk said he believes public works crews have handled this winter’s storms well by plowing all the collector and arterial streets at least twice.

“We have hauled berms away from the usual streets — First, Resort, Court and Washington — and (hauled snow) knobs away as necessary,” Fisk said.

He said the city doesn’t typically plow the less heavily traveled residential streets unless the snow or slush is so deep that drivers risk getting stuck.

Councilor Clair Button said he knows of situations in which vehicles got scraped up when they hit the berms while trying to pass another vehicle.

Button urged the city’s street crew to keep the berms back from intersections for safety, especially in low-light situations.

Councilor Aletha Bonebrake suggested the city staff and Council get together a group of business owners and operators to identify spaces where the berms need to be cleared.

“Get estimates of what it would cost to keep those areas clear for commerce, and for public safety,” Bonebrake said.

Collins suggested calling on Ann Mehaffy at Historic Baker City Inc., to gather recommendations from downtown building and business owners about problem areas.

“I think you do a great job on the berms — more than I think may be necessary,” said Dorrah. “They don’t bother me, but I understand they may bother some people.”

Dorrah suggested the city staff come back at a future City Council meeting with more detailed information about how much the city spends plowing snow and piling it into berms left in the center of downtown streets compared with the cost of plowing the snow and hauling it off.

“We should evaluate the cost of what we do now versus just removing it as we go from the key areas,” Dorrah said.

“We’ll be glad to refine the numbers more,” Collins said.

He said that information will help the city staff and members of the City Council in developing a new budget this spring.

Based on information the public works staff has already provided, Collins said the cost is likely to be around $7,500 to remove the most hazardous knobs from intersections, compared to around $20,000 to $25,000 a year to haul away the berms all together.

“I really appreciate the fact that we had this conversation,” Calder said. “I think there are reasons to change it from what we have always been doing — economic vitality, plus safety.”