County works with farmers to create windbreaks
Staff and contractors should be commended for the way they have been dealing with above average snowfalls, according to Rob Elliott, general manager of engineering, planning and environment for the County of Simcoe. Many county operations have been impacted by the weather, but Elliott says things have been operating fairly smoothly.
He said public works crews have been busy 24/7 for the last six weeks, keeping roads cleared.
“Lately with the diminished snowfall we’ve been focused on pushing back the banks,” said Elliott. “For the first time in a long time roads crews are using blowers to tackle the large banks.”
Most of the county road network is more rural in nature, he said, which makes their job somewhat easier, but that the public can help by avoiding on- street parking.
“Otherwise the plows go by and really block cars in and that’s frustrating for everyone,” said Elliott.
The county abandoned the practice of putting up snow fencing some years ago, he said, but they’ve been doing some naturalization, encouraging farmers to leave two or three rows of corn standing to serve as a windbreak.
“Fenceposts accidentally left behind can damage equipment so farmers are generally more supportive of leaving a few rows,” said Elliott. “We expect to examine the practice more fully in the coming year with a view to possibly expanding it.”
Waste collection services are also affected by weather.
“Our waste collection is contracted to Miller and I’ve been really impressed with their ability to keep things on track,” said Elliott. “There have been a couple of instances where the county has had to send out plows so the garbage trucks can get through but for the most part they are managing.”
There are no scheduled waste pick-ups on Friday, leaving that as a make-up day. In extreme cases, residents may be contacted by the county to advise that pick-up will be delayed a full week.
“We really want to thank residents for their patience and understanding,” said Elliott.
He said the county budgets on a calendar year so no hard data will be available for some time on the impact of all this extra snow, but he says crews are definitely putting in a few more hours and materials use is up from a typical year.
“In the case of our transit system which is operated by First Student Transit, they’ve done a great job of maintaining safe travel for our transit users,” said Elliott. “Where roads have not actually been closed they’ve done great at keeping things running on time, and where there have been road closures they’ve found detours to ensure the maximum number of people still have access.”
The latest information on transit routes can be found on the county website simcoe.ca/residents/ linx-transit.
