Salt trucks dispensed about 2,000 tonnes of salt across Oakville during last week’s snow storm
Town crews were ready for last Friday’s snowstorm challenge.
It’s been one week since the major snowstorm hit Oakville and the rest of Southern Ontario. As the snow continues to thaw, Mayor Rob Burton addressed the blizzard aftermath at a recent town council meeting.
“It takes a community to get things back to normal after such a large snowfall,” Mayor Rob Burton said. “I’d like to thank all the snow crews and town staff for their dedication to getting our town back up and running safely, and the residents of Oakville for their patience and their community spirit in helping neighbours and strangers alike.”
At the peak of the storm cleanup last Saturday, 85 pieces of equipment were on the roads and sidewalks to ensure snow was cleared as quickly as possible. The 1,900 km of roads that were cleared, if put end to end, would equal the distance from Oakville to Winnipeg; add to that, 900 km of sidewalks. Besides the snow clearing, about 2,000 tonnes of salt was dispensed across the town. Friday’s storm is estimated to have cost the town about $500,000. The total 2013 snow clearing budget is set at $4.65 million.
“We know during a snow event, such as we experienced on Friday, not everything runs perfectly,” added Mayor Burton. “But our crews and staff were on hand and worked diligently whether it was clearing roads, answering phones or taking time to help residents in need.”
The positive side of the storm was told in the stories of residents who tweeted or emailed the town about the firefighter, plow driver or Roads and Works staff member who came to their aid when their car got stuck or couldn’t make it up a hill; and about how grateful residents were to their bus driver who safely got them to where they needed to be.
Social media played a major role in Friday’s storm with the town continually tweeting snow and transit updates, and town closures. The town received almost 200 tweets from residents throughout the weekend.
ServiceOakville received almost 350 snow-related phone calls between Friday and Sunday. Residents were also able to follow the town’s clearing schedule by using the online Snow Tracker available on the town’s website, or by calling the Snow Line at 905-815-5999.
For more information on the town’s snow clearing procedures, visit www.oakville.ca and search for snow clearing.
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Tags: Rob Burton, snow removal, winter
About the author: Jillian D'Archi
With more than 10 years of communications experience, Jillian has an innovative talent for developing public relations campaigns and marketing strategies across traditional and digital platforms. Her portfolio includes clients in the entertainment, publishing, health & fitness, finance, fashion and wine & hospitality industries.
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