THE BRIGHT SIDE
Lake Geneva Public Works Director Tom Earle gave an informative presentation at the December 4th Committee of the Whole meeting after the library presentation.
The Lake Geneva public works crew is an asset to the citizens and something to brag about. Tom Earle did just that repeatedly during his presentation and gave city staff and local elected officials credit for supporting the department. With it being December, the presentation focused on snow removal and the reasons for how it’s done. Lake Geneva has over forty-five miles of roadways to keep clear during winter weather and three miles of those roadways are downtown. These are the most visible and traveled roads and are cleared first while the rest of the roads are done as quickly as possible. The downtown is a huge job all in itself.
During any snowfall, the city crew spends as much time on the three miles of downtown as it does for the other forty-some-odd miles of roadway. Being a part of the public works crew is sometimes a thankless job, as many calls come in with complaints on why roads are not cleared, too much or too little salt was used, or why one road is done before another road, why are there still parking spots not plowed, and so on. However, the public works department has rules to follow, ordinances to comply with, and mother nature to compete with. Timing is an issue.
The downtown needs to be plowed before businesses open and, if winter parking regulations are not followed, stalls are not always fully cleared. The main roadways cause the most safety risk and need to be re-plowed regularly during a snowfall, and side roads are an issue for those who live on that street but are not always plowed as quickly or repeatedly as residents would like. The Lake Geneva Public Works does a great job and other communities have noticed. Departments from surrounding communities have followed Lake Geneva’s example in many of the standard processes they now perform.
During the next snow event remember there is a lot to do in a short time to ensure safe travels for everyone. The public works crew works smart and hard, has many to answer to, and has rules from the state and city to follow. Don’t let this hard work go unnoticed. Thank a plow truck driver…and Tom, of course.
