(PHOTO AND STORY: KHQ.COM)
The City of Spokane is hoping to improve its snow plan following a particularly harsh winter in the city. The City Council will consider a resolution at its next meeting, March 13, to establish a joint process with City Administration to improve the plan and other coordinated responses to winter weather.
Council Member Amber Waldref, Chair of the Council’s Public Works Committee, sponsored the resolution. “It is critical that we learn from a difficult winter season, improve the timing and speed of snow removal procedures, and identify additional resources as necessary to ensure better mobility for our residents and visitors,” Waldref says.
The resolution hopes to address how to better respond to future extreme weather in Spokane.
“Council will work with the Administration to ensure the City does a better job at snow removal,” stated Council Member Lori Kinnear. “The citizens have spoken clearly that they expect a better outcome. It's our job to listen and respond.”
The resolution considered next week will call for the City Council, Street Department, Code Enforcement and Parking Enforcement to work jointly over the next several months to identify possible changes to the city's approach to winter weather events, such as reducing plowing times, improving snow removal in high density areas like downtown, improving communication about on-street parking during plowing, and identifying better strategies to keep sidewalks and driveways clear.
“Operations like snow removal can always be improved,” says Scott Simmons, the City’s Director of Public Work and Utilities. “We want to engage with the City Council and citizens to consider meaningful changes that would improve mobility for all in the winter.”