Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sidney and the surrounding region has already confronted two winter storms in the past month. With a few months remaining in winter, the area will likely see a few more.
With a pair of winter storms already tallied in the past month, odds are good there'll be at least a few more to hit the region before winter ends.
In Sidney, when a major winter storm is forecast to strike the community, city officials may declare a snow emergency.
Geri Anthony, interim city manager, is tasked with making the declaration.
"When a major storm is being predicted, the street superintendent and the police chief talk about it, and then they call me and tell me they think [a snow emergency] should be called," she said.
Two snow emergencies have been announced this season.
The city informs residents of the declaration through its Facebook page and website, along with sending releases to local media outlets. The discontinuation of a snow emergency is likewise announced through the same sources.
During a snow emergency, parking is prohibited along snow routes. Anthony explained that's to help aid in snow clearing efforts. Snow routes are signed as such and a complete map is accessible by searching "snow routes" on the city's website – http://cityofsidney.org.
Illinois Street, through Sidney, is a snow route, along with 10th Avenue to Toledo Street and then 11th Avenue to Old Post Road. The majority of Fort Sidney Road and Old Post roads are also included. Additionally, sections of numerous other streets in the municipality are emergency snow routes.
Vehicles parked on those routes during a snow emergency are subject to towing, according to city statute.
The Sidney Street Department maintains the 200 land-miles of roadway in the city, and it owns 10 pieces of equipment that clear snow – including plows and one motor grader.
City statutes dictate stage one designations – emergency snow routes – are attended to first after snow events. Stage two designations, which include areas around schools and collector streets, are second. Finally, stage three designations, which include residential streets, are plowed.
However, residential streets are not necessarily plowed following every snow event. According to the statues, the type of snow and amount, wind, existing snow on the ground and next expected snowfall are considerations used in evaluating whether to plow.
While emergency snow routes are plowed their entire width to prevent the buildup of snowbanks, residential streets are plowed with one or two passes to open driving lanes.
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