Many citizens and aldermen are angry that streets, sidewalks and walkways like this one, on the city’s south side, are not getting cleared fast enough.
You may have noticed a warning on your car in recent days from the City of Milwaukee. It likely warned you about parking on a side of the street that you’re now able to park on after March 1… right?
That’s not the case this year however. The Department of Public Works leadership decided to extend the city’s winter parking rules until March 15—a move that angered many aldermen and citizens, as the decision was made without the approval of the Common Council.
The decision was made by the department because of the high amounts of snow and ice that have collected on side streets across the city—making parking, and even walking—difficult. Aldermen expressed the concerns of many Milwaukee citizens Wednesday during a Public Works Committee meeting.
Many aldermen said that the department has not made a concerted effort to remove snow and ice during the extension of the rules, which could cause confusion for citizens who might not have seen the emergency issue ordered by the DPW. “You're literally saying, ‘We'll wait for mother nature to solve the problem,’” said Ald. Bob Bauman, chair of the Public Works Committee.
Aldermen vied for the department to use front-end loaders during the extension of the parking rules, starting Thursday. Front-end loaders, which are contracted by the city, could help remove the large amount of “snow islands” that have popped up around the city so far.
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Jeffrey Polenske, the Public Works Commissioner, wasn't able to commit to that at the meeting. “Part of it is, certainly we are hoping for some warmer weather to thaw the streets out,” he said. “The other side is, there is a balance of service that we are trying to provide here.”
DPW director of operations Laura Daniels also said that the department would have to amend their service contracts with the private contractors in order to make this happen, to which Baumann quickly said “amend the contracts.”
“I don’t want to hear money as an obstacle. That’s not an obstacle,” said Bauman. He said the city’s snow and ice fee could be raised if needed. He also said that money could be found in the budget to hire these contractors if need be.
“The bottom line is, we have to be better,” said Ald. Mark Borkowski.
The DPW did contend that this winter was “unique,” adding that within six weeks the city received over 40 inches of snow. They also said that this winter they were able to get to every street within 12-14 hours—which is better than the previous standard they held, of plowing side streets within 18-24 hours.
The DPW also said they had a high number of new snow plow drivers this year, as they occasionally lose drivers to nearby suburbs. “It’s a staffing issue and then it’s a contracted issue,” said Daniels, who added that she meets with the drivers at the beginning and end of the winter.
The DPW said it costs around $200 an hour to hire a front-end loader. Additionally, the city has only received 16 complaints of people ignoring the extension of the parking rules in the past week.
A resolution regarding directing the DPW to “develop a reserve force of snow and ice control operation drivers and supervisors from the ranks of retired City employees,” was also discussed at the meeting. Aldermen were in favor of this plan, as it would likely cost the city under $70,000 a year.
