Snow removal produces strong feelings in Riverside

    The snow is nearly gone, but the memories of it are not. Earlier this month, the county experienced one of its worst snowstorms in several decades. At Tuesday?s Riverside City Council meeting, a few of the town?s residents expressed their displeasure at the speed and manner in which the city removed the snow.

    Robert Schneider was one of those residents. A few weeks ago, Schneider called four of the six councilors to complain about the snow removal, and also mentioned that he was a Highland school board member. The council then sent a letter to the Highland school board requesting that members of the board appear at the next council meeting to discuss the matter.

    Mike Roberts, Highland school board president, and Chris Armstrong, Highland superintendent, addressed the council Tuesday. Armstrong said that Schneider was speaking as a resident and not on behalf of the school board. He added that there are things that can be done differently to improve snow removal. He said the snow was piled high on Schnoebelen Street, the access to the Riverside Elementary School, which made visibility very poor for motorists and children walking.

    ?That wasn?t the only place in southeast Iowa that had poor visibility,? said Armstrong. ?As we look back on the situation, maybe there are some ways of moving that snow back for better visibility. I also know that, from talking with Bob (Schneider), that sidewalks were plugged, and that kids would have to climb up to get over them.?

    Armstrong ended his comments by saying that the school is appreciative of the work the city does and that it holds no ill will toward the city.

    Mayor Brian McDole said if the school board sees a solution it should bring the solution before the council.

    Councilor Rodney Waldschmidt was one of the councilors whom Schneider called. Waldschmidt said he had no objection to Schneider calling as a resident, but didn?t like the fact he announced he was on the school board during the call. 

    ?He didn?t need to impress upon everyone that he was a school board member,? said Waldschmidt. 

    Schneider, who was until then sitting among the audience, approached the microphone.

?I beg to differ with you, Rodney,? he said. ?I represent the kids who live in this community, and I have every right, not only as a board member but as a citizen, to contact you.?

Schneider said the city plows ?intentionally? pushed snow onto sidewalks. Public Works Supervisor Brad Herrig explained that what Schneider was probably referring to was that, after the city cleared all the streets, it went back and opened up driveways. In so doing, the plows pushed snow onto sidewalks.

?There were four-foot drifts at the end of every driveway, and the city went back and opened up every single driveway in this town,? said Herrig.

Schneider said the driveways were already clear when the city came back and pushed snow on the sidewalks. Herrig said that, after the city cleared a path on the streets, it went back around a few days later and cleared more of the snow off the streets to widen them. Once that was done, the city opened the driveways.

For more, see our Feb. 23 print edition.