Haines resident Bud Barber will host a "plow guy talk" Thursday, February 2, 7:30 PM, Haines Borough Public Library. This is an opportunity for the community to gather and informally air concerns about berms as well as listen to some helpful insight from "inside the machine." Bud, recently retired State of Alaska plow operator, will speak from more than a decade of experience clearing snow from the highways of Haines.
In preparation for his talk, Bud has been busy visiting with State and Municipal operators, managers, and enforcement officials. Bud can explain the dynamics of snow removal; and help us understand more about berms. If you are concerned about how snow is removed from roads, this might be a good place to start!
And if you become convinced that berms are the inevitable outcome of clearing snow from roads, this might be a good place to connect with the community to begin to brainstorm a solution. Some options might include forming service areas specifically for the purpose of clearing berms from driveways - similar to the Road Maintenance Service Areas formed in neighborhoods outside the Townsite. Clearing berms from driveways is a higher level of service and incurs a cost. It is possible for a neighborhood to organize and vote to tax itself to pay for this service - which the Borough could manage for the service area through a contract with a private operator.
The one thing I know for sure, problems are more easily solved when we talk to each other first. Come Thursday evening and let's talk - to Bud and to each other!
"The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not so well do, for themselves." Abraham Lincoln
ReplyDeleteThe public can do a lot, and generally do, but they have their limits. Government that sets a tone of public service and consideration is government that is appreciated by the people.
Open communication is a good start to implementing policies that work best for all concerned.