Snow Removal

The City of Parkville is dedicated to providing the most efficient and effective service possible to keep our streets clean and our residents safe. The weather is constantly monitored throughout the year and plays an important role in our street maintenance.

The City annually budgets funds for snow removal and ice control operations for the public streets and public parking lots maintained by the City. The City provides such operations in a safe and cost-effective manner, keeping in mind safety, budget, personnel and environmental concerns. The goals of the City’s snow removal and ice control operations include:

Monitor, in conjunction with the Police Department, weather and road conditions 24 hours a day;
Maintain public streets in a safe driving condition;
Have all streets passable within 14 hours after snow has ceased from falling; and
Perform all maintenance tasks equally and in the best interest of the Parkville taxpayers.

Staff will make every effort to have the streets passable within 14 hours after snow has ceased from falling, assuming a general plowing operation begins at 3:00 a.m. and snowfall ending at 7:00 p.m. Depending on the snow and ice conditions and the duration of a storm, clean-up operations can widely fluctuate. Snow removal and ice control may be terminated at any time by the Director of Operations if it is determined that rising or falling temperatures, visibility and/or the rate of accumulation makes the removal unsafe, ineffective or unnecessary.

Preparing for Winter

Every fall City staff holds a Snow Rally to receive training in preparation for the winter season. During winter months, crews install snow plows and salt spreaders on each truck.

While snow removal is coordinated by the Streets Division of the Public Works Department, it is a joint effort that also includes the Parks Division staff and the construction inspector. The Streets and Parks divisions have a total of 9 employees that provide 24-hour weather and road condition monitoring in conjunction with the Parkville Police Department. Operators take a 20 minute break every two hours and 30-minute meal breaks every four hours to ensure safety.

The Public Works Department has a policy in place to address snow removal and ice control operations in the event of inclement weather.

Emergency Snow Operations Policy

Emergency Snow Route

Per Parkville Municipal Code Section 355.050, the following streets are established as snow emergency routes within the City:

Main Street from 3rd Street to the railroad tracks
1st Street from Main Street to Route 9
East Street from 2nd Street to the railroad tracks
Route 9 in its entirety

The emergency snow routes are identified in high traffic areas that historically experience overnight parking. The purpose of the emergency snow route ordinance is to ensure that snowplow operators can complete necessary snow removal and ice control operations without obstruction. When the City has an accumulation of snow or ice, the ordinance prohibits parking on designated streets.

The designated areas are posted with signs indicating emergency snow routes from midnight to 6:00 a.m. Parked vehicles impede snow and ice removal operations and cause serious traffic congestion. Vehicles are restricted from parking and are subject to ticketing and towing. If your vehicle was towed, you were parked illegally.

When does snow plowing start?

The start of snow removal and ice control operations is dependent upon immediate and anticipated conditions. The most critical times are weekday morning and evening rush hours. When feasible, the City will attempt to remove snow and ice from the public collector/arterial streets prior to rush hour periods.

First: Collector/arterial streets (Main Street, Crooked Road, S. National Drive, N. National Drive, Bell Road, Lakeview Drive, Riss Lake Drive, Eastside Drive, Melody Lane) due to their higher volumes and traffic speeds.
Second: Residential streets, plowing the middle of the street first and then snow will be pushed left to right in order to clear the street to full width.
Third: Due to difficulties in maneuvering snow plows and time required, cul-de-sacs are completed next.
Last: Alleys may not be plowed until the next shift due to snowplow operators having worked in excess of the preferred 14 hour shift.

Snow Removal Procedure

Major arterial streets and highways (Route 45 and Route 9) are maintained by external government agencies like the Parkville Special Road District and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Parkville clears the remaining nearly 90 lane-miles of roadway, 100 cul-de-sacs and all the public parking lots within the city limits.

The center of the street is plowed first and then left to right. The snow will be plowed into the right-of-way. The City is not responsible for plowing snow from sidewalks or driveways.

Snow Plow Map

Downtown Business District

Due to a lack of storage areas in the downtown area, snow will be plowed into various piles. Snow from adjacent sidewalks can be deposited into the street right-of-way due to the lack of storage. Snow from private business parking lots cannot be placed in the street or alley. City-owned parking lots and alleys are generally plowed at the same time as streets and may be deposited into the street window or piled within the parking lot.

Equipment

The City’s fleet includes 9 trucks equipped with front plows and material spreaders. Front-end loaders are also used when needed. Regular hand tools are used for sidewalk snow removal at public places such as City Hall. Extra equipment can be acquired from outside sources if deemed necessary for snow removal operations.

Materials

The City uses a 50/50 mixture of washed sand and salt chemicals on places such as hills, intersections or high speed and arterial roadways where traction is critical. Crews typically spread 100 tons of this mixture during an average snow storm (500 tons are kept on-hand). Washed sand minimizes the impact on storm sewers and assists in vehicular traction by providing an abrasive surface for vehicles. Salt is effective with temperatures above 20º Fahrenheit to assist with melting ice and hard packed snow. Spreading material is not intended to provide a bare pavement during winter conditions

Snow Removal Tips

Driveways

The City is not able to clean driveways and sidewalks for financial reasons and personnel limitations. Residents and business owners are expected to clear adjacent sidewalks as thoroughly as possible. Sidewalks abutting alleys and crosswalks may have compacted snow due to traffic.

Sidewalks

The City requires the businesses and residents of Parkville to clean the sidewalks adjacent to their buildings.

Sidewalks should be cleared as thoroughly as possible. It does not need be cleared of all ice and snow to bare pavement.
Sidewalks that abut alley approaches will have compacted snow due to the inability of the City to financially and reasonably provide resources to remove snow and ice due to vehicular traffic crossing the walks frequently.
The crosswalks at each intersecting street and sidewalks located directly behind the street curb will have snow deposited upon the radius and sidewalk. Snow being accumulated on a plow blade has no place to go but in the crosswalk area or sidewalk. The amount of snow on the radius or the sidewalk directly behind the street curb may be significant, but is unavoidable due to the nature of snow removal.

Complaints and Requests for Future Services

Complaints and requests for further services regarding snow removal, ice control, or damage will be taken during normal business hours and handled in accordance with City policies and procedures. Complaints and requests for further services should be directed to the Public Works Director or Director of Operations and will be handled on a priority basis. Complaints are handled on a priority basis and responded to within 24 hours after snow has ceased unless conditions or operations prevent the Director of Operations to respond. Responses are to ensure that the provisions of the City’s policies have been fulfilled and that all residents have been treated uniformly.

Contact Us

Emergency: Dial 9-1-1
City Hall: (816) 741-7676
Public Works Director: Alysen Abel
Director of Operations: Alan Schank

Links

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the City shovel sidewalks or plow driveways? No, due to budget constraints the City is not able to designate money for winter maintenance of public sidewalks.
What happens if my mailbox is damaged by a City snow plow? The mailbox owner assumes all risk of damage to a mailbox, except where a mailbox is damaged through direct contact by a City snow plow. The City, at its option, will repair or replace the mailbox with a standard metal mailbox acceptable for delivery of mail by the U.S. Post Office, a wood post-type support not to exceed 16 square inches or 4.5 inches in diameter or metal support as approved by the Public Works Director at a cost not to exceed $40.
What will the City cover if something is damaged? The City cannot be responsible for damage to grass or driveways, including the approach, caused by the salt/sand mixture and will not be able to make repairs or compensate residents for salt damage to turf areas or driveways.
Why does snow get plowed in my driveway? The City plows the snow off the streets first to ensure they are passable to traffic. One of the most frequent and most irritable problems in removal of snow from public streets is the snow deposited in driveways during plowing operations. Snow being accumulated on the plow blade has no place to go but in the driveway. The amount of snow deposited in the driveways may be significant, but is unavoidable due to the nature of snow removal.
How does the City plow a cul-de-sac? Depending on the volume of snow, the storage of snow may be required inside of cul-de-sacs. It is financially infeasible and impractical for the City to remove all snow during a heavy snow storm. As soon as reasonably possible, the Director of Operations will determine the timing of this complete snow removal.
Who plows my street? The City created a map of snow plow routes within the city limits completed by the City, the Missouri Department of Transportation and Platte County. Parkville Snow Plow Map