County, city road crews prepare for winter

No measureable snow has fallen yet, but city and county crews are ready once the snow starts piling up.

Jay Waddingham, Franklin County Engineer, said winter preparations typically begin in the summer, when salt is pur-chased through the Iowa DOT. Doug Tarr, Hampton Public Works Director, also said the city begins purchas-ing and stocking up salt and sand far before snow is a threat.

Preparation efforts ramp up as fall arrives and the air cools. Waddingham said plows and sanders are equipped in mid-October and wings are put on trucks the first of November. Wad-dingham said preparation is vital when addressing winter weather, as storms can hit with little notice.

“You never know when there’s going to be an ice storm or an early snow event,” he said. “Especially for ambulance and fire crews, if they have to go somewhere, we have to move the way for them.”

Read the full story in the December 14 edition.