SLICK WORK: CITY CREWS SET TO CLEAR STREETS

With more than 100 tons of salt on hand, ready to be mixed with sand and liquid de-icer, Cape Girardeau's public works employees are ready to hit the streets should foul weather strike again.

Kevin McMeel, assistant public works director, said clean-up work following Monday's ice and snow ended mid-morning Tuesday.

Crews began working on streets at 5 a.m. Tuesday, preparing for morning rush hour. Crews were called back in by mid-morning as temperatures rose above freezing and snow began to melt.

"We typically buy 100 tons of salt, but this year we had last year's supply plus a little left over from the previous year," McMeel said. "Last winter was mild; we only had one call-out night.

"With the sand we keep about 30 loads on hand. Since we have a sand plant in town, there is no need to stockpile it."

This year, the street department is experiment~ing with a different mix of chemicals for clearing thoroughfares.

"Instead of just using the salt and sand mixture," McMeel said, "we are also using liquid calcium chloride."

The new chemical is a type of liquid salt, he explained. "It can work at lower temperatures than the rock salt, and since it is in liquid form it starts working faster. The rock salt has to melt first."

State highway crews use the liquid de-icer in their trucks.

With the ice storm last week, McMeel said he thought the new chemical mix worked faster.

"We anticipate saving some money also. It's more effective for about the same cost," he said.

When bad weather threatens, McMeel said street crews must convert trucks to snow removers.

"Since we have so few trucks we use them for other purposes," he explained. "If it looks like we will be out of bad weather for a while we take the spreader boxes off and use the trucks to haul rocks and concrete for street projects.

"If it's threatening, we try to be prepared. We put the spreader boxes back on."

The three times street crews have been called on to clear streets this year each occurred when workers were not on duty.

"On the off hours we rely on the police department to call us if the streets are getting slick," McMeel said.

He added that the sand and chemicals take a toll on equipment. "It tends to bind up chains, but as long as we can keep the equipment running we think we are pretty well prepared."

McMeel said some residents may not have seen a snow plow come through their neighborhoods during the recent snow and ice.

"We do have priorities," he said. "We have five trucks and five zones. Each zone has priority streets, the main thoroughfares, like Broadway, Kingshighway, Williams and Mount Auburn. We try to clear the streets around the hospitals, and then around schools and churches, depending on what day it is."

After that, street crews make passes through strictly residential areas.

"It's true, we don't get to every street. We try to let nature take care of some of that."