Politics & Government

Clearing Continues Long After Storm

Crystal Lake Public Works focuses on hauling away snow, especially where it impedes safety.

It’s a week later, but crews are still cleaning up after the historic blizzard. Public Works Director Victor Ramirez said it will probably be another week before the city is sufficiently cleaned up from the storm.

Monday’s snowfall just added to the workload.

“There’s so much snow in so many locations. We had to bring a crew in last night to scrape an inch of snow  . . . Every time it snows like that, we have to come off of areas where we were just making some progress,” said Ramirez.

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Ramirez said he was pleased with the response to the .

“The good news is that by the end of the day Wednesday, all roads were accessible and in very good shape,” Ramirez said.

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“Once we were through clearing, we had to work on access to wastewater plants, storage tanks and 21 lift stations,” he said.

Ramirez, along with about a dozen other staff members, spent Tuesday night at City Hall to ensure they would be available for clean-up Wednesday morning.

City workers plowed around the clock, with two shifts running 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Public Works pulled employees from other departments to help with the snow removal. Ramirez said they are still using some employees from other departments.

City workers continue to haul snow from parking lots, commuter lots and downtown areas. Ramirez said they are focusing on any safety issues, such as intersections with poor visibility due to snow piles and school routes where children are forced to walk on the street.

Ramirez said the most challenging aspect of the storm is that the work has continued long after the storm.

“The continual clearing . . . the loading is slow and cumbersome,” he said.

Despite the bitter cold, the sunshine has been helpful.

“The sun heats the pavement; it’s our best ally when trying to get streets clean. The sun working with salt is very effective,” Ramirez said. “We’re praying for sunny days.”


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