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The biggest challenge is manpower, Highway Superintendent Peter Ripperger said. His staff has been trimmed by numerous budget cuts over the last several years. Consequently, he will bring in staff from other town departments to help with the plowing and sanding.
“Our biggest problem is with our plow runs. [Because of staff cuts] they take five hours when they used to take three,” he said. “We are bringing in everyone who knows how to plow – guys from the Maintenance Department, Parks and Rec, and even the Police Department.”
Ripperger said his department is ready for whatever Mother Nature is planning to throw at it.
“The trucks are up and ready and we have plenty of sand and salt,” he said. “We have 96 miles of road to deal with. Before we leave here [Thursday] the crew is told to be ready to come back in.”
Ripperger said that during the night he gets up every couple of hours to check the weather and then will call in his staff when and if he deems it necessary.
“Every storm we treat the same,” he said. “We have X number of people and we just call them in. The biggest problem can be the high winds, which can cause whiteout conditions and we can’t see where we are going.”
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