Now that the streets are clear and the piles of snow are a distant memory, we think it’s time to give everyone throughout Reno County a warm pat on the back for how well they handled the first, and hopefully last, big snow event of the winter.
While people in other places were still stuck in their homes because of the ice and snow, Reno County residents were largely able to move about and go about their normal routines within two days of the snow stopping. That’s largely because of the outstanding work of crews who worked around the clock clearing the city’s streets and being fully prepared for the inclement weather. Fortunately, most county residents wisely chose to stay indoors and were prepared to wait it out until crews across the county had the roads to where they were driveable.
Before the snow started falling, the public works crew had brine on most of Hutchinson’s main streets and thoroughfares to prevent as much ice as possible. In the days after the snow fell, crews were busy removing the piles of snow throughout the city and had most of it gone by week’s end. That doesn’t happen in many places, but it happened here.
Even while the snow was falling, crews were out doing their best to keep the county’s main streets and roads drivable, so things didn’t grind to a standstill during the first real snow event of the season. Once the snow stopped falling, crews executed the plan and got most of the streets cleared quickly, which is a remarkable feat anywhere. A week after the snow fell, the piles of snow in Hutchinson were gone, and other than some snow in yards and on sidewalks that don’t get much sun, the city was largely back to normal.
It wasn’t just public works crews that did the job; it was the fire and police departments who did their parts as well. It was a total team effort by the hardworking government employees throughout Reno County who take pride in taking care of their communities.
Crews were prepared for the first noticeable snow event of the season, which could have been much worse than it was given the frigid temperatures that came with the snow. Subzero temperatures often lead to frozen pipes and water main breaks, but thankfully, those either didn’t happen or were so few in number that we here at The Tribune didn’t receive any reports of either. At a certain temperature, the brine solution city crews put on the city’s main streets becomes ineffective, but their doing so surely had a positive impact on the amount of ice and snow that accumulated on the city’s streets during the frigid temperatures. To have the main roads cleared as quickly as they were doesn’t happen in many places, but it did here in Reno County.
Kudos to all for your outstanding work during the first big winter weather event of the year. We know it wasn’t easy working in the harsh winter conditions or being away from your families, working extended hours, but we at The Tribune truly appreciate everything you did and continue doing to make Hutchinson a great place to live and work. Well done.
– The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board