While the city slept last weekend, dozens of Longmont staff worked day and night in the midst of and wake of the March 14-15 winter storm that delivered nearly 20 inches of snow locally, caused power outages in more than 20 locations and resulted in business and service closures and delays.
From the first flakes on March 13 through Friday, all the snow equipment the city owns and operates was deployed at one time or another, according to Steph Bergman, Public Works and Natural Resources communications and marketing specialist.
That fleet of snow removal equipment included front end loaders, backhoes, plows, trucks, snowblowers and shovels.
Also in the city’s arsenal is the Zaugg. Seeing the giant snowblower in use is a rare sight because of the labor it requires to operate it, said Ryan Freeman, Utility and Streets maintenance supervisor.
But in the case of this storm, which prompted the city to make plow passes not only on the 140 miles of centerline roadway it maintains but also residential streets, it was a valuable tool.
“The city has had this machine since 2010, and it is a vital piece of our snow removal equipment,” Freeman said. “Longmont has certain roads that have southern shade, and the Zaugg operation assists with removing that snow, as well as removing the windrows that accumulate on narrower collector and arterial streets.
“… When you see the Zaugg throwing snow into a train of tandem-axle trucks after a snow event, you can bet it was a big storm.”
Narrower sections of Main Street, and Ninth, Mountain View and 17th avenues needed the Zaugg, according to Matt MacKenzie, Transportation system maintenance manager.
“Instead of just having the snow pushed off sitting on the side of the road taking up part of the lane… we throw it into the back of a tandem truck and then we haul the snow off to a site here in town where then it can melt,” he said.
The Zaugg stopped running on Thursday and the last of the snowplowing took place on Friday on small areas that were reported as unplowed, McKenzie said.
Those wrap-up operations marked the end of a long two weeks for city crews.
“We actually started planning for it Monday (March 8) of the week before,” he said. “When there's going to be that much snow, we wanna make sure we have every truck available, that personnel is ready, and we try to limit time off.”
Sixteen crew members were deployed for every 12-hour shift from the night of March 13 through Tuesday mid-morning, McKenzie said, adding several other staff members were on reserve and attending to other emergencies across the city.
“At the height of the storm, which would have been a Sunday night, some of them (crew) hadn't been home since Friday,” he said.
In addition to streets, city crews tackled snow removal on trails; in parking lots and areas around municipal buildings and fire stations; park paths, and arterial sidewalks, Bergman said.
McKenzie said, “I’m very proud of our crews. They just want to make sure the public's happy and that they're safe and they try to do their absolute best. Nobody complains during the storms, you know, and they're tired. Some guys haven't been home in days but every shift they're showing up and they're just ready to go, and they want to get out there and get the streets as safe as they can for the citizens.”
City Manager Harold Dominguez echoed that praise for those who went to work rather than hunkered down during the storm.
“I'm proud of the City staff who worked tirelessly before, during and after this severe storm to keep our community accessible and safe,” he said in an email. “They removed snow and ice, responded to emergencies, provided regular information updates, restored power and continued providing essential services throughout. I also want to thank the Longmont community for staying off the roads as much as possible during the storm and offering a helping hand to neighbors in need.”
