COUNTY READY FOR SNOW, COMMISSIONER SAYS

JACKSON -- Last year's snow and ice storms kept state and city crews scrambling to keep melting mixtures on hand, but Cape Girardeau County did just fine, First District Commissioner Larry Bock said.

Bock, who oversees the county's highway department, remembers his introduction to the county highway department three days after his swearing-in ceremony.

An 8-inch snow covered the area, and Bock was in charge of getting it removed. This year, he is prepared.

The county ordered its first snowplow last fall, and it will be mounted on the front of a truck when needed. The $3,200 plow has a break-away feature to keep it from being damaged if it hits something.

"We just ordered the one, and we'll see how it works," Bock said. "Maybe it will sit in the shed all winter, but if we need it, it's there."

In addition, the county owns six road graders and four front-end loaders. They don't work as well as snowplows but can be used for snow removal on the county's 500-plus miles of roads.

Bock has tons of a limestone and cinder mix in storage, too. The cinders are free for the hauling, but the limestone material costs around $4 per ton.

The county saves money not using salt, which the commissioner said is much more expensive.

He noted that melting material of any kind is used up quickly on hundreds of miles of roads, but this year's stockpile should be sufficient.

"Whatever the long-range forecast is, we are prepared," Bock said. "We will try to get out as quickly as we can so that the roads won't become as muddy."

Snow-removal equipment is stored in various places around the county so that cleanup of each area can begin at the same time, usually around 5 a.m. on bad days. County crews begin with main thoroughfares into Jackson and other larger towns so that residents can get to work.