What's Happening in Westlake, OH…

Winter snow removal is a priority for any municipality. North Olmsted recently published guidelines on its website.

According to the city, it clears and salts all thoroughfares, but there is an order of priority. It first works on main routes, and then secondary streets. Next come residential streets where there are school zones located, and lastly, all remaining residential streets, if they are maintained by the city.

Interior streets are handled differently. They are salted and cleared, but only on curves, grades, and where roadside ditches are particularly deep. Intersections are also salted and cleared, as are main roads into and out-of-housing developments.

Snowploughs and other types of equipment are so large, they may not be able to get into narrow streets, cul-de-sacs, or dead-end roads. In such cases, smaller equipment will come in, but there may be a delay before it arrives.

The city asks residents to help by keeping gutters, curbs, and sidewalks clear of debris, stones, trash, litter, ice, and snow. They also ask that people who clear their property do not place slush, ice, or snow in a public street or sidewalk.

Finally, the city tries to be sensible in its use of salt, and conducts salting operations from 11.00 pm until 4.00 am, as this method tends to be less effective in areas where there is little traffic. Officials can use flyer printing to inform residents of these policies.