Snow clean up continues in city, county

With most of Fairfield dug out after the massive snowstorm that drifted snow accumulations more than 20 inches Tuesday into Wednesday, officials are issuing several reminders.

City officials have announced crews will be plowing all accessible alleys, with the work set to begin as soon as all the streets have been completed. The city does not routinely plow alleys, but due to the significant amount of snowfall and requests by numerous residents the alleys will be cleared.

?Just be patient,? said Fairfield public works superintendent Darrel Bisgard, explaining that the crews will get started on alleys ?at our convenience.?

Bisgard said the street crew was busy widening streets and repairing equipment this morning.

He added the street crew appreciates drivers who have gotten their cars off the streets.

Drivers who park on city streets and have dug out their vehicles should not park in the same spot again so that when a plow truck comes by it can clear the spot where the car had been snowed in.

Drivers also should consider not parking across the street from each other. When cars are too close, it does not leave room for a plow truck to get through.

Jefferson County Engineer Tom Goff said the county?s road department has reached all the paved and gravel routes. This morning there were still some trucks giving further attention to problem areas where the snow had drifted back over the roadway.

?In general, they?re in pretty good condition,? Goff said. ?It?s a lot better than we thought it was going to be three days ago.?

Goff acknowledged severe winter weather is hard on the county?s equipment, but other than the ?usual blown hoses,? there were ?no catastrophic breakdowns.? He reported the truck with sander used at the courthouse and a few other county buildings is experiencing transmission problems.

After three consecutive days of canceled classes, the Fairfield Community School District resumed classes today, with buses running on hard-surfaced roads only.

Superintendent Don Achelpohl reminded parents and students that an option to listening to area radio and television stations for announcements about school delays, early dismissals and cancellations, would be checking the district?s website at www.fairfieldsfuture.org. They also can sign up for direct notification by e-mail message or an automated phone call.

Achelpohl is asking residents to think of students? safety and take time to clear their sidewalks so children will not have to walk in the streets.

The city of Fairfield requires property owners and occupants to remove snow and ice from sidewalks within 12 hours after the snow has fallen or ice has formed.

The owner or occupant is required to spread suitable material, such as Ice Melt or sand, on the sidewalk when necessary to prevent the sidewalk from being slippery.

If the owner or occupant fails to remove the snow or ice, the city will remove it and assess the cost to the property owner.

Fairfield Fire Chief Ralph Hickenbottom is requesting that residents who have fire hydrants in their yards dig out the hydrants.

Digging out the hydrants will allow firefighters to find and access the water source in the event of a fire.

Alliant Energy is reminding customers not to forget about clearing snow and ice from their gas and electric meters, as well as their furnace vents and other vents around their home.

For the complete article, see the Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.