Moorhead Public Works’ crews are ready to roll when winter returns, director Steve Moore told the City Council Monday.

Winter is coming … no surprise there. After getting in an early test run with last week’s early snowfall, Public Works Director Steve Moore reported to the City Council Monday that his crews that battle ice and snow stand ready to take on the coming season.
Sixteen street department drivers stand at the ready to clear Moorhead’s 550 miles of roadways, as well as 48 miles of bike and walking trails.
The manpower is up one from last year, Moore noted. In addition to two crew chiefs, the roster includes five heavy equipment operators and nine truck drivers. During what he termed “significant snow events” – occasions when 8 or 10 inches fall – the department also draws in other city personnel from the parks, forestry and maintenance departments. This year, wastewater plant personnel will also be available, good news during a season when the COVID-19 contingency plan foresees dealing with ill-timed illness.
Moore laid out a four-step plan of attack when ice and snow threaten:
Fighting the Ice: The anti-ice phase aims to prevent ice from freezing and bonding to the pavement on primary and secondary streets and avenues. It involves the application of chemicals, but is effective only when the ground and air temperatures and wind speed are in the right range.
Plowing Begins: Phase one, the plowing of primary and secondary emergency routes, begins when snow accumulation reaches an inch or two. Snow is moved from the center of the street to the curbs. Salt is applied at intersections and on bridges, depending on the temperature. Sand is applied for traction at lower-speed intersections when temperatures are colder.
Opening Residential Areas: The second phase, city-wide plowing, begins only after the snow stops. Usually starting between midnight and 4 a.m., crews try to provide clear driving lanes as quickly as possible. Snow is pushed to the sides of the street. Moore pointed out that if crews have to go around cars parked on the street, they will not return a second time until the area’s regular street maintenance day. He urged residents to park off the street during snow events.
Regular Weekly Maintenance: After the entire city has been cleared – typically in 10 to 14 hours – the crews return to their regular weekly maintenance schedule. That’s when the ridges left around parked cars are cleared, along with snow blowing and hauling from the primary routes and downtown. No street parking is allowed on residential maintenance days, which may be different than areas’ regular garbage pick-up schedule.
Moore expressed his appreciation for operations division manager Randy Affield and crew chiefs Blake Hogenson and Dave DeLong, along with the rest of the staff – all holdovers from the previous year. “We couldn’t do this without them,” he said.
Mayor Johnathan Judd reflected, “As we go into winter, the key word is grace. We’ve put together good plan. We want residents to feel free to contact us if a street has been missed or there is some kind of problem. After all, we can’t fix it if we don’t know about it. But please … when you communicate with our staff, exercise some grace.”
– Nancy Edmonds Hanson