Concord's General Services Department Gets Ready for Nemo [VIDEO]

Blizzard Nemo is on its way and it’s expected to be a doozy – anywhere from 12 to 24 inches of snow during the course of 30-plus hours.

And Concord’s General Services Department is ready for the storm, according to Jim Major, the highway and utilities superintendent for the department.

According to Major, the department will have 20 to 25 trucks plowing city streets once the storm starts, with 40 to 45 people working. They will focus primarily on plowing the streets and once that is done, crews will clear the sidewalks.

Earlier today, on Feb. 7, the department was getting ready – pre-tripping the plows, loaders, and graters, loading the trucks up with salt, and making sure everything was working properly.

The “pre-trip” check is one of the ways the department saves money on maintenance and averts problems during storms. Employees check the trucks, plows, and sidewalk clearers, cleaning off the grates and making sure everything is working properly.

“We go around and check everything,” Major said. “We’ll check the chains, we check the tires, check the hydraulic hoses, they’ll check the fluids and the tires … so come tomorrow morning, when we get ready to go, the trucks will be all set to go … we won’t have to do any repairs or anything like that.”

The department will use about 6,000 tons of salt in any given year, depending on how much snow falls. Currently, the shed on the grounds has about 2,000 tons on hand, including various mixtures of pure salt, a pre-treated salt, and sand, although the sand usage is limited due to future cleaning costs in the spring.

The department has both small snowplows with salt and snow blowers for the sidewalks.

Major commended city officials for keeping up with funding equipment needs for the department, replacing when needed, and keeping the plows out on the streets and not in the garage constantly getting fixed.

Major also stated that he hoped residents would take precautions and prepare for the storm, allowing the department's employees to get their work done as quickly and efficiently as possible.