MONTGOMERY & CLARK COUNTIES — Various counties across the Miami Valley are juggling public works crew schedules to keep the roads safe.
>>PHOTOS: Local cities prepare for upcoming wintry weather
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell talked to leaders in the City of Dayton about how they are preparing for tomorrow’s snow.
It’s been a very mild winter and the Dayton Public Works has hardly used any salt on the roadways.
“It’s going to be a 1/2 inch of snow or so, we really don’t need a plow and the temperatures are going to be just right where salt should be effective to melt it away,” City of Dayton’s Public Works Director Fred Stovall said.
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This time of year, Stovall watches two things closely, his salt supply and our weather forecasts.
He said his teams have not had any big events this winter season, but that changes now.
“Right now, our plan is 1 a.m. tonight, Saturday morning, we’re going to have our primary drivers come in, that’s 46 of them,” Stovall said.
Mechanics and drivers spent Friday getting those vehicles ready. We were told they do not attach plows until they expect storms with much higher snowfall totals.
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Dayton resident Jessica Casey said the expected snowfall probably won’t make her stay off the street, even if driving in it can be a little nerve-wracking.
“I’m very scared to drive in the snow but I’m welcoming it... because we haven’t had any for so long,” Casey said.
Public Works leaders in Dayton think the temperatures this weekend will be just right to make this salt very effective. They don’t think they’ll have any problems keeping the roads safe.
News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott spoke to city leaders in Springfield to learn what their plans are for the upcoming snowfall.
Just like Dayton, the City of Springfield hasn’t had to use much of its salt supply this season.
“We have right now five drivers scheduled to come in around 4 a.m.,” Springfield Service Manager Chris Moore said.
Plus, the people on call just in case there’s more snow than expected.
Moore said the calm winter we have been experiencing has been good.
“We’re able to get other things done,” Moore said. “Even a small snow can cause some of the other operations for three days.”
BoWalker Whitley owns Ultimate Finish Lawncare and Landscaping. He said during this time of year, he’s typically out plowing, but this winter, he’s been focusing on things he usually does during the summer.
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“We’ve definitely been doing more tree work, you know, some landscaping,” Whitley said.
With snow planned for this weekend, he’s getting out and doing what he can to make up for lost time.
“I personally have probably 17 properties. I’m gonna be pre-treating,” Whitley said. “We need to recoup that revenue.”
Whitley said he has about seven people coming in to treat the roads, which is more than the City of Springfield.
“We want to go ahead and get what we need to get done prior to stores opening,” Whitley said.
Depending on the weather, most of the city’s salt will be used on bridges and overpasses since they tend to ice first.
“They’re out there making things better for all of u just give them some room to work and it all goes away really, really fast,” Moore said.
If you’re driving tomorrow morning, be careful, take your time, and go slow.
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