Snow Plowing Revisited

"There are folks who read New Philadelphia Tattler. I know that because I received calls about a recent article, "A Question About Snow Plowing". If rolled into a single comment it would read something like this: "If the city doesn't plow the airport until even the alleys are plowed, why do I still have snow and ice on my street and the city has a number of trucks plowing at the airport?"

So on Friday, February 19, I went out to take a look. Nice day for a drive, the sun was out, temperature in the lower 40's. I visited all four wards and did find streets and alleys in need of some serious plowing. Let's not get picky. Snow patches are one thing, but two to three inches of snow and ice over the entire street for a couple of blocks is another. I didn't really have to look all that hard.

For instance, Cedar Lane and 6th Drive, NW, where there wasn't a bit of the street visible. Alleys between 10th and 12th Streets, NW, were in the same condition. Third Drive, SE, needed plowing to get rid of the snow and ice, as did Third Street, SW. These are but a few of streets which, even after three days of no snowfall, were still hazardous to drive on. A resident on Ninth Street, SW., told me that they were snowbound for a number of days, not even being able to get onto the street. I took a look there and snow and ice were still on the street. I drove out to the airport and sure enough, just as reported by callers, city crews were plowing snow. When I was there, early afternoon, the runways and taxiways looked pretty good. Matter of fact crews were cleaning up around the hangers. So what happened?

The answer is twofold. First, snowplow drivers are human. As a result they miss things, in this case some smaller streets and alleys. The solution to this is simple. Call the City Garage, 330-339-2121, and report it. When you do, follow the first rule with dealing with the city, write down the time of the call, who you spoke with, what you asked for, what response you were given, and what finally happened in response to your call. This is important if you don't get the response you think you deserved and want to follow up with a higher up official. Once that call is made, some patience may be needed, but it will take care of the situation of snow still on the street days after the last snowfall. Incidentally, I have been told that New Philadelphia police officers frequently call the Street Department about streets which need snow plowing, potholes, and similar problems.

The second problem as it turns out is, you guessed it, political. Some of the people who use the airport have connections, and connections can make all the difference in the world. When the Street Department is told to plow the runways and taxi areas, it is going to get done regardless of what any plan says. It is another case of the select few taking priority over the majority. About 60 airplanes are based at the New Philadelphia airport, could be a few more. Why are 17,000 citizens deprived of be benefits of city snowplows for the convenience of 6o aircraft owners? Most of the aircraft owners fly as sportsmen and if that is reason enough, why are not baseball, football, and soccer fields plowed as well? The only reason that the airport gets plowed before all the streets are clear is politics.

Don't blame the snow plow drivers. They do what they are told. If you are looking for someone to blame, start where the responsibility really lies, at the top. Talk to the mayor. Reminds me of what a master sergeant once told me. You can delegate authority but you can never delegate responsibility.