Letter to Editor
Office of the Mayor – Communications Office
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
CONTACT: Marta Gronlund, Voice: 425-556-2427
SENT: December 30, 2008
Letter to Redmond Residents
I have heard from many of you over the past two weeks, voicing your anger about the road conditions during the prolonged snowstorm. I share your frustration and apologize for the difficulty in navigating around the city.
To make matters worse, garbage and recycling piles up and overflows its containers. My neighbors are upset with me as I explain that cul-de-sacs will be the very last streets plowed. My children voiced their displeasure that our Christmas celebration was postponed four days because family could not make it to our house on Education Hill.
What I can tell you is that City of Redmond employees have been working 24/7 since December 17th to plow and clean our streets. Is it enough? Obviously not. A major limiting factor to our service is that the City owns only three large plows/sanders and one smaller plow/sander for 100 miles of road. This level of equipment is generally sufficient for most years; however, a storm like this occurs about once every 25 years and the equipment level clearly fell short this time. You have my commitment to review the City's response for lessons learned and to implement changes to our snow removal plan quickly.
I have been in touch with Waste Management representatives and they report trucks are out in full force this week. Some of their trucks have extra staff on board to help with any extra trash or hard to service containers. Waste Management asks for your patience as their crews work through the very real logistical complications associated with the sheer volume of material they expect to find at the curb.
On all these issues, I asked staff for a complete debriefing of what happened, what changes need to be made and how we can prevent similar problems in the future. We will provide the City Council with a report at the January 6th City Council meeting. We certainly can’t control the weather, but we can learn and make changes to our response. As soon as I have more information, I will report back to you and the Council on what steps and changes we are taking. This information will also be available on www.redmond.gov.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Hearing from you has been painful but provides useful information that will help the City better respond to future storm events.
Sincerely,
John Marchione
Mayor
City of Redmond
To make matters worse, garbage and recycling piles up and overflows its containers. My neighbors are upset with me as I explain that cul-de-sacs will be the very last streets plowed. My children voiced their displeasure that our Christmas celebration was postponed four days because family could not make it to our house on Education Hill.
What I can tell you is that City of Redmond employees have been working 24/7 since December 17th to plow and clean our streets. Is it enough? Obviously not. A major limiting factor to our service is that the City owns only three large plows/sanders and one smaller plow/sander for 100 miles of road. This level of equipment is generally sufficient for most years; however, a storm like this occurs about once every 25 years and the equipment level clearly fell short this time. You have my commitment to review the City's response for lessons learned and to implement changes to our snow removal plan quickly.
I have been in touch with Waste Management representatives and they report trucks are out in full force this week. Some of their trucks have extra staff on board to help with any extra trash or hard to service containers. Waste Management asks for your patience as their crews work through the very real logistical complications associated with the sheer volume of material they expect to find at the curb.
On all these issues, I asked staff for a complete debriefing of what happened, what changes need to be made and how we can prevent similar problems in the future. We will provide the City Council with a report at the January 6th City Council meeting. We certainly can’t control the weather, but we can learn and make changes to our response. As soon as I have more information, I will report back to you and the Council on what steps and changes we are taking. This information will also be available on www.redmond.gov.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Hearing from you has been painful but provides useful information that will help the City better respond to future storm events.
Sincerely,
John Marchione
Mayor
City of Redmond
I just read the Mayor Marchione's letter and the one before. I feel sorry the city has been struck by this nasty snow and ice storm...& right during the holiday season! And now we hear two more storms may follow! Our Public Works Department must be stressed to the gills. To be honest, I'm surprised they got to some of the back streets. With the next storms coming I think it we should try to cut the city some slack - knowing they are doing the best they can for what they've got.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the City that has a responsibility. We do too. Cable chains, snow shovels. and extra water and batteries are just a few things that could help. If you have to go out at night for supplies & it's icy call a neighbor who has cable chains and try to car pool safely with other neighbors.
Most of us are getting edgey and cranky from cabin fever and it can help to vent. We also need to have a wee bit of grace for those around us?
We were left lost, and hopeless.
ReplyDeleteOur city, would not help us.
We relied--
on our friends and fellow city dwellers to get out and get around,
Our city, Public Works:
Worthless
in a snow storm like this...
Posted by Anonymous to Redmond Neighborhood Blog at December 30, 2008 11:26 PM
Blah, Blah, Blah...
ReplyDeleteThey get an f!!
Not only did the city Public Works Deparment fail to remove the snow from our major road ways: For example 85th- where we have the Post Office, Fire Station, Library, City Hall. On Friday- this street was TOTALLY Impassible!!
They did NOTHING!!
The city failed us in this storm!!! 166th was shut down, 104th was shut down.... where were they.
Poor, poor service!!!
I couldn't drive till this sunday!!
What if this was a MAJOR EMERGENCY.. where would the be. Face it, fellow city dwellers
WE ON OUR OWN!!!
December 30, 2008 11:20 PM
Our city is not small, and it is not poor. The obvious answer is to increase the number of plows - explicitly note priority roads for neighborhoods (particularly education hill) and potentially even a ballot measure to gauge citizen's willingness to pay more taxes for this increased level of service. The Education Hill neighborhood did not receive an acceptable service level and the storm was not a "bizarre" or improbable event. Changes needs to be made and they will cost money.
ReplyDeleteI have plenty of chains, batteries, candles, and food at my home. However there is a point at which 104th is impassable with a 4WD truck with chains and it was reached during this storm due to a lack of service.
Poor Service
ReplyDeleteThe city of Redmond Public Works Department needs to work with each area of the residential neighborhoods to clearly identify which streets need sanding and clearing for egress. It is clear that the Public Works Department did not understand that W. Lake Sammamish Parkway is one of those streets which service many residents of Redmond. They also did not understand that 180th Ave N.E. is also a street which needed attention, as well as the lower part of N.E. 24th Street.
oh for the love of mercy, quit your whining. These conditions are a rare occurance, and while we've seen inconvenience and rescheduling aplenty, so what? You can't expect life as usual when conditions are anything but.
ReplyDeleteSpending more money on additional snowplows that will sit idle for most of their service lives is just dumb, and the current economic climate makes it dumber.
It is not the city's job to take the place of personal responsibility. If you're not prepared for the conditions, you're not prepared, regardless of what the city does.
No doubt there will be some lessons learned, and a good discussion of priorities and choices will provide some good fodder in preparation for the next big snow storm which should be sometime in the next 6-12 years. Until then, thank your stars you're not living in Buffalo, enjoy the calm, and be grateful that the electricity stayed on.
Hear Hear! for the last commenter.
ReplyDeleteTwo week window for reporting losses
ReplyDeleteKing County Property and business owners who had losses due to the recent winter weather may be eligible for assistance getting their property back in order. Eligibility is determined through a damage assessment process which takes into account total reported losses within King County.
Impacts of winter weather, such as snow load and flooding, may have resulted in individual property damages or business losses. King County homeowners and small business owners who have suffered damages from recent weather related conditions should file a damage report with King County Office of Emergency Management within the next two weeks.
A hotline number (800-523-5044) has been established for reporting damages within King County and is open during the following dates and times:
Dec. 29 - 31, 2008 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Jan. 5 - 9, 2008 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/safety/prepare/news/2008/December/29DamageReport.aspx
COURTESY OF KIRKLANDVIEWS.COM
I agree with Anonymous' comment posted on Jan. 1 at 5:16PM. You should be thankful you did not lose electricity! Most would scream "wasteful spending" if more snow plows were purchased for future/infrequent storms. Perhaps the City can learn to prioritize which streets need to be plowed first for safety and high traffic flow. However, people living on cul de sacs need to realize that they will be serviced last. Having lived where electricity would go out with a strong wind, ice or snow would bring our city to a standstill for days, and we had to rely on stocked supplies, I agree that you should cut your City some slack. If they are working 24/7, they are doing their best. Lessons can be learned for how to deal with future storms. However, you should be thankful you have heat, use of utilities, and warm water!
ReplyDelete