Although ”snow czar” is not his formal title, that`s what Ken Neal has come to be known as in west suburban Elmhurst-at least at this time of year.
As the superintendent of streets, Neal is responsible for clearing the white, fluffy stuff from the city`s 145 miles of streets. (In warmer weather, he attends to such tasks as pothole patching, curb repairing and alley maintenance.)
But in winter, getting the city`s snow crew out to clear the streets is just one part of his job; he also has to be on constant lookout for approaching snowstorms during the peak snow months: November to March.
A forecasting service supplies weather reports twice a day by fax machine. If it looks like snow is looming anywhere on the horizon, Neal calls a supervisor into the office to monitor the situation, whether it`s daytime or the middle the night.
”If there is any probability of snow, even if it is only 20 percent, we call a supervisor in,” says Neal. ”That way we`re able to get the primary streets clean, especially for the morning rush hour.”
Neal manages a team of 25 people, who work in two 12-hour shifts during major snowstorms to plow, snowblow, shovel and take whatever measures are necessary to keep city streets free of snow.
And unlike most homeowners, who dread the thought of having to shovel out their driveways, Elmhurst`s crew likes the job, Neal says.
When the snow falls, ”you can almost see that the guys are pumped for it,” says Neal. ”Even though it can be long and grueling, it`s a challenge for them. They don`t look at it like, `Oh no, here we go again.` ”
Neal is a veteran of the snow removal game. As a 26-year city employee, he recalls clearing Elmhurst of the snow that was dumped by the big storms of 1967 and 1978.
By all accounts, the storms were mammoth when they hit, and they have since grown to mythic proportions in the memories of many people in the Chicago area who lived through them.
”I think 1978 was worse than 1967. It lasted longer,” he says. ”We had snow piled up so high on the streets that you literally couldn`t see over the mounds.”
Keeping track of city trucks that were dwarfed by the towering piles of snow during those seasons required an imaginative solution, he recalls. ”We put pennants on top of our trucks so we could identify them.”
Neal finds that managing a snow removal operation is a difficult juggling act that involves manpower, equipment, knowledge and, sometimes, split-second decisions.
For example, throwing salt on snow that is coming down fast and heavy may not do much good because it cannot melt it. And, at about $21 a ton, salt is an expensive commodity that the city doesn`t want to waste. As it is, Elmhurst goes through about 3,000 tons of salt in an average winter.
Plowing can be a better option for heavy snows, Neal says. But if the snow falling is fine and dry, it may be impossible to clear with a plow.
”If (the snow) is blowing around a lot, you`re not going to be able to move it but an inch,” says Neal.
In fact, every snowstorm is unique and each requires a specific method to address it, he says. ”There are various ways to handle a storm. They`re all different. As soon as it starts to fall, we work on our plan of attack.”
`Multitude of decisions`
”There is just a multitude of decisions to make,” he adds. ”Like do we need to get more people in or should we wait for the next shift? Do we need to clear the central business district right away? Does it look like there is more snow coming soon?”
Elmhurst is well-equipped to handle snowfall; the city has 25 snow plows, 8 salt trucks and several snow blowers.
And the good equipment is making snow removal easier than it was in the past, says Neal, noting how the snow blowers would have come in handy for 1967 snowstorm, when the city had none. ”The snow blowers are great. They just eat up snow.”
His personnel are well-trained to cope with a major snowfall and know immediately what their tasks will be, Neal says. ”Everybody has a specific assignment that does not change. Someone is responsible for spreading salt on cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets, another person is responsible for clearing the central business district.”
A beeper at his side lets Neal stay abreast of snow removal efforts and keep in touch with other emergency officials, including those in the police and fire departments. Backup personnel are available to help out in emergencies.
After more than a quarter of a century on the job, Neal says there is little in the form of snow that scares him.
”We`re pretty confident that we can handle anything pretty efficiently and quickly,” he says.
