Plainfield: Earlier Salt Application Could Have Improved Blizzard Cleanup

A week after a blizzard that dumped 14 inches of snow on the village, Plainfield Public Works Director Allen Persons issued a “blizzard after-action statement” explaining what caused problems that prompted residents to complain about slow snow cleanup.

• Plainfield Residents Voice Concerns Over Snow Removal

While he praised village staff, Persons said earlier salt application could have helped make snow removal easier, and also blamed a lack of communication from contractors.

Last week, Plainfield Mayor Mike Collins said the village hired a total of eight outside contractors to assist with plowing during the Super Bowl weekend blizzard.

Persons, who read the statement at Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting, said the storm began as light rain at around 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31. Village staff and hired contractors began plowing main roads as the rain changed to snow.

On Sunday evening, public works requested the help of additional contractors, Persons said. Snow continued to fall until 3 a.m. Monday, and by the time it stopped, the village had gotten about 14 inches, he said.

After reviewing the village’s response to the storm, Persons said staff reached some conclusions.

“We could have been more liberal with the application of salt on Saturday. Approximately 100 tons of salt was applied on Saturday between 6 and 8 p.m.,” he said, adding that crews applied more than 700 tons of salt during the blizzard. “However, if we had applied additional salt on the roadways earlier in the storm, it may have allowed the Village to remove the snow and ice more easily before it adhered to the pavement.”

Persons also criticized contractors, saying one contractor had issues with two of its three plow trucks.

“Due to the severity of the storm, the Village’s entire crew was on the street and we relied on contractors to update us on their progress. During the storm, we had two contractors who encountered challenges and did not report these problems to the Village,” he said. “Thus, the Village had to double back with our resources (crews and equipment) to take care of contractor routes.”

Village trustee Garrett Peck said village officials should remember the contractors’ performance when hiring contractors for future storms.

Persons said officials understand residents’ frustration, and will make changes to improve snow removal.

“We collectively understand that the collective response to the storm, both contractor and village, is not what our residents have come to expect,” he said. “Quite frankly, it didn’t meet our standards internally.”

Police Chief John Konopek said there were no major crashes following the blizzard, noting that there were several property damage crashes and one crash involving minor personal injury. He said most of the crashes occurred when vehicles slid off the road.

Watch Monday night’s meeting on YouTube.