HomeMy WebLinkAbout20113075.tiff Esther Gesick Badate
From: Bruce Barker
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 11:26 AM
To: Esther Gesick
Subject: Amendments for Chapter 8
Attachments: snowplanarticlelRevisedSept2011.docx
See the attached. There are ready to go. Board wants to start on these ASAP.
Bruce T. Barker, Esq.
Weld County Attorney
P.O. Box 758
1150'O" Street
Greeley, CO 80632
(970) 356-4000, ext.4390
Fax: (970) 352-0242
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2011-3075
CHAPTER 8
Public Works
ARTICLE I
Snow Policy
Sec. 8-1-10. Purpose.
A. The principal objective of the Weld County Public Works Snow and Ice Control Program
is to provide for the safe and efficient flow of traffic within the County during periods of
inclement winter weather. Routes have been established and priorities assigned which
shall ensure that the minimum road network required for operation of emergency vehicles
shall be maintained at all times. Under all circumstances emergency agencies and
command elements of County government shall be notified.
B. Flexibility remains the cornerstone of the plan. To be effective, priorities must be
reassessed periodically and routes altered to keep pace with changing population centers
and traffic volumes.
C. Within this policy are sections which pertain to a"Snow Emergency." These sections
shall supersede any other conflicting sections.
Sec. 8-1-20. Snow watch plan.
A. During normal working hours, sanding and/or plowing operations may be initiated by the
Director of Public Works or the Operational Division Snow Boss.
B. At times other than normal working hours, the assistance of the Sheriffs Office and any
other agency(including the State Patrol) shall be necessary to ensure that
sanding/plowing operations are initiated in a timely manner. Feedback regarding road
conditions is usually sent to the Weld County Regional Communications Center, which
shall then notify the scheduled Snow Boss. The Snow Boss shall dispatch Snow Patrol
employees who shall report on road conditions. A strategy shall be formulated to begin
sanding and plowing operations.
Sec. 8-1-30. Snow removal priorities.
A. Priorities: Roads shall be cleared in the following order of priority:
1. Emergencies involving human life and safety.
2. National Defense (Air Force Missile Site access roads).
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3. Essential dairy and livestock access roads.
4. Main arterial roads.
5. School bus routes.
6. Mail delivery routes.
7. Remaining collector roads (including subdivisions and unincorporated towns).
B. Command and Control.
1. Command and control shall be exercised through the following chain of authority:
a. Board of County Commissioners.
b. Director of Public Works.
c. Snow Boss.
2. Control of operations shall be exercised at the snow operations office at the Public
Works Headquarters. Communications with regional supervisors and operators shall
be according to the following order of priority: 1) County Radio System; 2) cell
phone; 3) CB radio. The Director of Public Works shall be in charge of snow
removal operations and shall staff the operations office as necessary to carry out
operations efficiently. This authority shall be delegated to the assigned Snow Bosses.
3. Any emergency calls for the Sheriffs Office, ambulance or helicopter services
received at the Snow Desk shall be forwarded to the appropriate agency.
4. All incoming calls regarding snow removal or emergencies shall be routed to the
Snow Desk (970-304-6496) from dispatch or in-house Public Works unless a specific
person is requested.
C. Operations.
1. The Snow Desk shall be staffed as soon as determined necessary by the Director of
Public Works or Snow Boss or the Commissioners. The Snow Boss shall assume
charge immediately by initiating recall, making radio contact with all units in the field
and determining their status, and shall direct operations in accordance with the
priorities established herein. If additional resources are needed, calls shall be made.
2. If weather information indicates that operations are anticipated the day before, the
Director of Public Works shall direct specific operators to be at work and ready to
commence operations as soon as practical on the following day. If more than two (2)
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days of continuous operations are anticipated, no operator shall work more than (12)
hours in a day without approval of the Director of Public Works.
3. Status of all snow removal operations shall be maintained at the Snow Desk. Reports
shall be made to the Public Works Emergency Notification Group intermittently
throughout the snow event. These reports shall be directed by the Director of Public
Works or applicable Snow Boss.
4. Plow operators are directed that the first priority is to get roads cleared as fast and
safe as possible, emergencies excepted. Operators are authorized and directed to stop
and assist disabled vehicles only if it is necessary to clear the road or if life or health
is in danger. Requests for assistance from stranded vehicles, not involving an
emergency, shall be radioed into the Snow Desk operator who shall attempt to obtain
assistance for the stranded party. The request for assistance shall be forwarded to the
Regional Dispatch Center for action, such as a request for towing services.
5. If an abandoned vehicle is blocking the roadway, the operator shall radio in the
location, license plate number and the description of the vehicle to the Snow Desk.
The Snow Desk shall contact the Regional Dispatch Center informing them that a
hazard exists and the vehicle should be removed from the County Right of Way.
Dispatch shall contact the Weld County Sheriffs Office for appropriate action.
6. No school property or private roads or driveways off the County rights-of-ways shall
be cleared by County equipment with the following exceptions:
a. If requested in writing, and approved in advance by a school district, The County
shall clear the entry.
b. If a citizen needs a private road or driveway opened for a medical or other
emergency, the citizen should call the Department of Public Works Snow Desk.
The Snow Desk shall log the call and contact the appropriate emergency service.
Snow Desk personnel shall then contact the appropriate operator who shall meet
the emergency vehicle at the site and open the road or driveway for the
emergency vehicle.
7. Plow trucks shall primarily be used on paved roads and shall be assigned routes or
zones as dictated by the snow distribution within the County.
8. Backup support shall be furnished by the Weld County Shops Contractor and all
Public Works divisions to maintain and repair snow removal equipment. Personnel
from these divisions shall be on standby or on duty, as directed by the Director of
Public Works and the contract administrator for the County Shops.
9. Nothing in this plan is intended to preclude an employee from acting and using his or
her best judgment in the absence of direction from a higher authority.
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D. Planning and preparation.
1. All supervisors of units providing snow removal are responsible for ensuring that
equipment is ready and personnel are briefed on their duties. Prior to the first snow,
each piece of equipment shall be inspected with its plow and spreader to ensure
readiness. All other equipment such as tire and tow chains, route maps, vehicle
lights, etc., shall also be inspected at this time.
2. Fuel stocks at grader sheds shall be monitored by the individual zone operators and
status reported as directed to the motor grader supervisors. If a fuel delivery is
necessary, the maintenance supervisors may direct the delivery route be cleared on a
priority basis.
Sec. 8-1-40. Contracting for additional resources.
In cases of EXTREME EMERGENCY and where County resources cannot maintain
safe traveling conditions, it may be necessary to obtain additional equipment from Contractors.
A. Authorization for contract.
1. Upon the recommendation of the Director of Public Works and approval by the Board
of County Commissioners or their authorized representative, the Director of Public
Works shall contact available contractors and obtain the necessary contractor
equipment and personnel to augment the County workforce.
2. The Director of Public Works or authorized agent of the Board of County
Commissioners shall negotiate a fair and equitable equipment rate with the
contractors, but in no case shall it exceed the maximum rates set by the most recent
edition of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Equipment Rental Rate
Schedule.
B. Command and control. Control of contractor equipment shall be exercised through the
Snow Desk. The Director of Public Works on the on duty Snow Boss shall coordinate
and control the efforts of all contractor equipment.
C. Operations.
1. County and contracted workforces shall be employed so as to maximize the efficiency
of the snow removal operation. Contracted equipment shall be paired with County
equipment to take advantage of County radio control.
2. As soon as it is apparent that County forces can handle the remaining snow removal
on a timely basis, the Director of Public Works shall terminate contractor operations.
3. The Director of Public Works shall ensure that accurate records are kept on all
contractor time and equipment in order to validate invoices submitted for payment. If
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a contractor required fuel from County supplies, the Director of Public Works shall
ensure that proper accounting procedures are followed.
4. Contractors shall submit invoices to the Department of Public Works for validation of
time and charges.
Sec. 8-1-50. Response plan for extreme snow and ice events.
The following policy sets in place criteria for managing snow removal efforts on our
roadway network during extreme weather events.
A. Weather event definition. Snow events are categorized using a storm level scale based
on reports from the field as to the severity of conditions as well as other methods
including forecasts, satellite images and common sense. With the vast expanse of Weld
County, storm levels may vary depending on conditions in that area. The levels of storms
are defined below:
1. Level 1: Snow Removal Operations shall focus on all roads. The effort and
resources expended shall vary depending on accumulation and drifting conditions.
The on duty Snow Boss shall refer to direction provided in prior sections of this
Code.
2. Level 2: Snow Removal Operations shall focus on pre-determined priority snow
routes. Some roads may be closed and traffic re routed so snow removal vehicles can
operate unimpeded by traffic. The on duty Snow Boss shall refer to direction
provided in prior sections of this Code.
3. Level 3: Snow removal efforts shall be ceased and equipment shall retreat to
designated recovery stations located throughout the County for further instructions
and redeployment as conditions warrant. Level 3 may be declared by the on-duty
Snow Boss with the concurrence of the Director of Public Works, the Commissioner
Coordinator or Alternate Commissioner Coordinator for Public Works. When
redeployed, resources shall be committed to pre-determined priority snow routes.
Notification of a Level 3 Condition or any road closures shall be communicated to the
Regional Dispatch Center and the Public Works Emergency Notification List.
Sec. 8-1-60. No waiver of governmental immunity.
No term or condition set forth in this Article shall be construed or interpreted as a waiver,
express or implied, of any of the immunities, rights, benefits, protections or other provisions, of
the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act §§24-10-101 et seq., as applicable now or hereafter
amended. Furthermore, nothing set forth in this Article shall be construed as creating a duty of
care upon any individual or party.
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