03-11-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 25, 2019 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 of 7 6-plus inches. The Public Works Department has spent 1,161 hours this winter plowing snow, which works out to 2.5 weeks of constant effort for each of Orono’s crew members, and includes 213 overtime hours. As far as de-icing materials go, the City has used 3,875 gallons of brine on the roads, 182 tons of treated salt, and 137 tons of untreated salt. The treated salt is for the colder temperatures and works down to 15 degrees. Seals asked how the City is doing on its supplies. Edwards indicated they are getting low on salt and that the neighboring cities are in the same boat. The City has to place its order back in March with the state, which requires the City to take anywhere between 80 to 120 percent of the order. Orono is getting close to its 120 percent limit for the year. As a proactive measure, the City has hauled in some extra salt from Hennepin County. Seals asked how they are doing budget-wise with the overtime. Edwards stated they do not separate plowing overtime from winter activities and that the overtime budget accounts for lift station failures, etc. The 213 hours is about double what Orono had last year. Crosby commended the Orono Staff for doing such a terrific job with the roads. Edwards stated have received some calls about mail boxes being hit but they have also received a lot of positive calls thanking Staff for the work they have done. The graph at the bottom shows the normal snowfall in a season from 1981 to 2010, and the typical amount of snow between October to April is 54 inches. In February of this year Orono has received 32.1 inches when in a normal year it receives 7.8 inches. Crosby requested Staff check the fire hydrants to make sure they are clear of snow. Edwards stated snow storage is becoming a challenge. Seals stated she has received a number of compliments about the snow removal activities of the Public Works Department. Edwards noted one reason for the large quantity of salt used this year was due to the rainfalls that occurred either prior to or during snow events as well as the wind. Edwards reported on the following activities performed by the Public Works Department:  Routine checks on water plants  Repaired three water mains  Performed normal meter readings  Conducted one service inspection  Performed 257 weekly checks and services  Weekly checks and services on the sewer, one service inspection, Lift Station No. 32 startup and 21 facility inspections completed