Council addresses issues with snow and ice removal

The Pullman City Council discussed snow and ice removal problems at its meeting Tuesday, including salt’s effect on roads and citizen complaints.

“Snow removal only takes place downtown,” Pullman Public Works Director Kevin Gardes said. “There is no place to put it, and there is a huge fee that comes with it.”

Pullman has upped the amount of salt used on the primary streets this year and has even salted some of the secondary streets, Gardes said.

“The problems that arise with salting on the streets is that it is corrosive,” he said.

Maintenance and operations crews are going to hit the morning commute a little harder, Gardes said.

However, some citizens have complained that the plows have been pushing snow berms back into freshly shoveled driveways, he said.

Gardes said they appreciate citizens that have been clearing a spot for cars.

The council approved a resolution for a mutual aid and assistance package to private and public water works companies for emergencies. The resolution will allow these companies to share resources during emergencies. It will be up to each agency to determine if the resources are available during an emergency.

The greatest benefit of the resolution will be that companies will be able to exchange and obtain spare parts, Gardes said.

This resolution will be new for Pullman, but Yakima and Spokane have already adopted similar resolutions, he said.

These types of resolutions are encouraged by the American Water Works Association and other professional organizations, Gardes said.

Reporting by Danny Lochridge