Winter weather poses challenges to community

Winter weather is easily the main topic of discussion these days not only in Rolla, but all across the Midwest and Northeast where record snowfall and low temperature readings are reported day after day in the news.

   In Rolla these conditions have resulted in what may seem to some as endless snow storms, cold winter nights, back-breaking snow shoveling, and lots of icing on porches and sidewalks;  and yet to others it has meant striking sunsets, endless sledding opportunities at Ber Juan Park and the Rolla Jr. High hillside, building snowmen, snow angels, quiet walks in the woods, and in the City’s case, snow plowing and salting. Some folks love it, and some folks can’t wait until spring and warmer weather arrives. No matter how you stack it or measure it, Rolla has had more than its normal share of severe winter weather, icing and snowfall – and it’s not even March yet!

   Some say this winter is one of the worst winters in 40 years to hit the Meramec Valley Region, and considering that we still have another good six weeks of winter ahead of us, that statement may turn out to be true. Either way, the snow we have been receiving has meant challenging driving (and walking) conditions around town, countless days of school closings at Rolla Public Schools, a two-day closure at Missouri S&T, and countless closings for area colleges, businesses and community organizations. Let’s hope the warmer weather forecasted for this weekend and the upcoming week will thaw some of the large ice and snow piles that have accumulated along the street curbs and at various entrances to parking areas and businesses. While the City’s snow plowing operations have been in full force throughout the past six weeks or so, it is extremely difficult to plow every inch of snow on the City’s 110 miles of streets, especially in the downtown area where so many cars park and become trapped by snowfall. The clearer a street is of parked vehicles, the easier it is for the City’s snow plows and salt trucks to maneuver and eliminate snow and ice build-up.

   The winter weather is particularly hard on many City employees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work outdoors, such as the Sanitation Department, Rolla Police Department, Rolla Fire and Rescue, and of course the Street Department that has spent much of their time outdoors clearing the City’s streets and municipal parking lots. While these employees are well accustomed to working outdoors, the severe weather conditions have made their jobs all the more challenging over the past six weeks. We certainly appreciate the efforts of all our employees, and especially when asked to work in snow storms, frigid temperatures and unpleasant weather conditions. 

   While it may be a bit soon to be talking about March and warmer weather, I would like to remind everyone that the 103^rd Annual St. Pat’s Parade is getting closer by the week, and will be held on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. on Pine Street in downtown Rolla. I’ll be mentioning more about this festive event in the weeks to come, but it never hurts to have something like the St. Pat’s Parade to be looking forward to over the horizon.

   In closing I’d like to mention that the Rolla Sesquicentennial Planning Committee continues to meet regularly to plan and coordinate festivities for the City’s Sesquicentennial Celebration on Saturday, June 4 in downtown Rolla. And in an effort to make as much information as possible about the Sesquicentennial festivities, including the Sesquicentennial Parade, a special link has been added to the City’s Website homepage (see the ‘Rolla’s 150^th’ tab button) that includes several articles, and updates regarding the City’s rich history and the many festivities planned for the Sesquicentennial Celebration. I encourage you to help spread the word about this important milestone in the City’s history, and pencil in the weekend of June 4, 2011 on your calendars while you contemplate the arrival of summer weather.

   Have a safe week!

St. Pat’s Day Parade set for March 12 in downtown Rolla

The 103^rd Annual St. Pat’s Day Parade, one of the oldest and most celebrated St. Pat’s Parades in the state of Missouri, will be held Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. on Pine Street in downtown Rolla.

   Immediately following the parade the 103^rd Annual Best Ever St. Pat’s Concert will feature the band “Reel Big Fish,” at the Rolla Downtown Bandshell located at the corner of 9^th and Oak Streets near the railroad tracks. The concert is free and open to the public, and food and drinks will be available for purchase.

   One unusual aspect of the St. Pat’s Parade is that the surface of Pine Street is actually painted green beginning at 6:30 a.m. the day of the parade. The St. Pat’s Street Painting Event, sponsored by the St. Pat’s Board, includes the volunteer services of several students from Missouri S&T that apply the water-based green paint with large mops, and buckets so Pine Street properly painted green for the parade later that morning at 11 a.m.

   St. Pat’s Court will arrive at the bandshell in the City’s Downtown Festival Park on Wednesday, March 9 at 12-noon. St. Pat’s Court Arrival begins between at 11:45 a.m. at the south end of Pine Street where they will proceed through the downtown area to the bandshell at 12-noon.

   The St. Pat’s Coronation and Knighting Ceremony will be held on Friday, March 11 at 9 p.m. in Leach Theatre, located in the Castleman Hall Performing Arts Center on the Missouri S&T Campus at the corner of 10^th and Main Streets.

   The 103rd St. Patrick’s Grand Ball, sponsored by the Ladies of Coterie, will be held Saturday, March 12 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the St. Pat’s Ballroom at the Havener Center, located on the Missouri S&T Campus. The St. Pat’s Ball honors a great Rolla tradition with a delightful evening of dinner and dancing on the Missouri S&T Campus. To make your reservations to attend, visit http://coterie.mst.edu/programs/StPatsBall.html.

   The tradition of St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Rolla for over a century. St. Patrick, the patron saint of engineers, marked his first Rolla celebration in 1908 on what was then the Missouri School of Mines campus. Engineers rallied around St. Pat and began what is now one of the most noted and oldest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the nation.

   For more information regarding the St. Pat’s Parade and related events and festivities, please visit the St. Pat’s Board homepage online at http://stpats.mst.edu/events.

Backyard Birder Seminar to be offered Feb. 16 at The Centre

Join Audubon Birding Activities Coordinator and experienced birder Mike Doyen for a fun seminar designed to help beginning birders get started bird watching. The Backyard Birder seminar will teach you to identify 25 of the most common back yard birds in the Rolla area as well as the best foods and feeders that will help attract birds.

The seminar will be held from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16 in Meeting Room “B” at the Centre (1200 North Holloway St. in Rolla). This is a free seminar and open to anyone interested in learning about local birds.

For more information about this seminar or the Ozarks River Chapter of the National Audubon Society contact Mike Doyen at 364-0020 or via e-mail at mdoyen@yahoo.com. Information can also be obtained from the Rolla Parks & Recreation Department at 341-2386 or via e-mail at parks@rollacity.org.

FEMA approves revisions to Rolla's 100-year floodplain

Spring Creek Tributary Flood Revision (Case No. 10-07-0800P) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the City of Rolla’s submittal to alter the current limits of the regulatory 100-year floodplain. The revised mapping limits are effective Feb. 02, 2011 and will remove 45 residential dwellings from the regulatory 100-year floodplain. Rolla’s Public Works Department sent notification letters and maps on Jan. 7, 2011, to inform citizens affected by the revision. 

   Dutro Carter Creek Flood Study (Case No. 10-07-0319P) - FEMA has also approved the City of Rolla’s submittal to alter the current limits of the regulatory 100-year floodplain. The revised mapping limits will be effective on April 19, 2011 and will remove a mix of 39 residential dwellings and commercial structures from the regulatory 100 year floodplain. The Public Works Department sent notification letters and maps on Jan. 11, 2011 to inform citizens affected by the revision. 

  In addition, Burgher Branch Study (Case No. 09-07-0033P) and its tributaries were revised on Dec. 16, 2009, removing a mix of 75 residential dwellings and commercial structures from the 100-year floodplain. The Deible Branch Study (Case No. 09-07-0803P) revisions became effective on Feb. 20, 2009, removing a mix of 18 residential dwellings and commercial structures from the 100-year floodplain. Love Branch Study (Case No. 09-07-0564P) revisions became effective March 10, 2008, removing all residential dwellings from the 100-year floodplain.

   The map revisions may result in the following: 1) Your property’s floodplain status remains unchanged. 2) Your property may be removed entirely from the regulatory floodplain. Flood insurance may no longer be required by your lender (waiver of flood insurance is at the discretion of the lender. 3) The extent of your property in the floodplain may have changed (increased or decreased). Flood insurance rates may be changed accordingly. 4) The property may now be included in the regulatory floodplain. Your lender may require flood insurance for the property. The FEMA map revision will largely reverse the expanded 100-year flood plain initiated by FEMA effective on Feb. 20, 2008.

   For more information, please contact David Forshee, the City of Rolla’s Project Coordinator/GIS Administrator, at 426-6957.

Police Chief Chat

This past week, the Rolla Police Department handled 748 calls for service. Of these calls there were: 27 arrests,14 accidents,34 traffic complaints,148 traffic stops, 22 disturbance calls (including domestics),15 suspicious nature calls, 18 assists of other agencies, 68 911 hang up calls, 8 check the well being requests, 28 animal control calls, 22 stealing calls, 17 escorts, 34 security checks, 3 intoxicated person calls and 5 careless drivers. This call total is up 201 calls from last week and yes, another busy week!

On Sunday, January 30, 2011 the National Weather Service out of Springfield, Missouri issued a severe winter storm warning for the Rolla area. The weather service announced that an extremely large and powerful storm system was moving across the Midwest and was likely to have a huge impact on our community. They predicted high winds, freezing rain, ice, sleet and finally a large amount of snow, possibly exceeding 20 inches. Some forecasters predicted that this storm was of historic proportion and may cause trees and power lines to snap and create power outages for a large amount of the population. The temperatures were predicted to drop in the single digits following the storm so recovery could be slow.

Then on Monday, January 31, 2011, the National Weather Service added a snow blizzard warning to the severe weather warning! The timeframe on the blizzard warning was from 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, thru 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. That was potentially 18 hours of heavy snow. Well as you can imagine, we realized that we may have our work cut out for us. Lt. Jim Macormic began checking schedules and determined which officers would probably be able to make it in for their shifts and which officers may not. Cpt. Jason Smith put together a fleet of available 4 wheel drive vehicles to be used to shuttle personnel and also to be utilized as patrol vehicles should our patrol cars become ineffective. S/Sgt. Rick Williams coordinated with Mayor Bill Jenks and outlined a plan to open the Rolla City Emergency Operations Center in the event of power outages due to the storm. In addition contact was made with Phelps County EMD Sandy North, Phelps County Health Department Director Jodi Waltman, American Red Cross Director Edna Bridges, Fire Chief Robert Williams and Recreation Centre Director Scott Caron concerning the establishment of warming shelters should the need arise. Shelters were secured at the United Methodist Church, Rolla Community Hall and the Centre. Communications Chief Paula Volkmer contacted additional telecommunicators and had them on stand-by in the event that Central Dispatch becomes saturated with calls. Lt. Doug James secured Wyman Elementary School as a warming shelter and also secured a bus from the Rolla Public Schools to be used in the event that shelter victims required transportation.

The City of Rolla Public Information Officer Scott Grahl prepared several public service announcements concerning precautions to take and listing resources should the need arise. Central Dispatch personnel kept the up to date weather information flowing to our Facebook fans via our Rolla Police Department Facebook site. Animal Control Supervisor John Redshaw and his team at the Rolla Animal Shelter looked at options available at the shelter in the event that displaced families may need to house pets. All this potentially dangerous storm activity comes on the heels of a recent deadly tornado that hit the area 1 month earlier. Fortunately, with this storm as with the tornado system, the City of Rolla was spared loss of life and suffered no major damage or power service disruption as once again, the City of Rolla dodged a bullet. We clearly attribute our lack of devastation to the grace of god, but I would like to add that we too attribute the success to you the citizens in the community. Central Dispatch was grateful to report very few unnecessary calls from citizens in the community concerning the storm. The Patrol Division reports that many motorists decided to stay home rather than brave the slick roads, and those that did venture out, drove with respect, patience and care. In times of emergency situations we do our best to keep you informed, keep you protected and return life back to normal in the least amount of time. This would not be possible without the combined effort of our community.

In closing, I would like to mention that the Behind the Badge organization is no longer accepting donations for the Disaster Relief Fund. The campaign has ended with a total of $7,661.00 received in donations! The checks will be disbursed to the victims next week. Thank you for your help!

Have a great week!

Chief Mark Kearse

Rolla Public Works Dept. provides overview of snow plowing operations

After receiving numerous calls with questions regarding the City of Rolla’s snow plowing operations, route schedules, and degree of snow clearing capabilities, Public Works Director Steve Hargis and City staff have launched a public information campaign that will involve traditional media, the City of Rolla’s Website and City’s Facebook site. Detailed snow route and salting route maps of Rolla are also available via the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org.

   Winter weather for us usually starts with the arrival of a fax, e-mail and phone call to the Public Works Department from our weather service Accuweather. Salt has been preordered during the summer months. In the early fall snow route maps are updated and distributed to employees. Supervisors have had the equipment serviced and have reviewed procedures with all crews well in advance of the inclement weather.  Plows and salt spreaders are attached to equipment and dump truck spreaders are loaded with a mixture of salt, sand and sawdust. The crews begin their new work scheduled of 12-hour shifts until the roads are clear.

   The City of Rolla is approximately 12-square miles in area and contains over 110 miles of streets as well as public parking lots. This is a monumental undertaking and requires the cooperation of employees from the Street Division, Traffic Division, Concrete Division and the Wastewater Division.

   At the onset of winter weather, streets are pre-treated as much as possible with a mixture of sawdust, salt, and sand. Sugar beet juice is also added to give this mixture more melting power at lower temperatures. When the snow or sleet begins, the trucks and employees move into action. With such a large number of streets to maintain, there are two individual types of operations that are employed to clear the roadways; Dump Truck routes and Pickup Plow routes.

   The City of Rolla is divided in to six separate zones classified as “Dump Truck” routes. The streets located within these routes are typically well traveled and include everything from major collectors to residential roadways. The Dump Truck routes are plowed by….Dump Trucks. These trucks are equipped with large plows and a bed full of salt. Each zone is assigned two employees. An employee will work a straight 12-hour shift at which point the second employee will begin his shift.

   Each street within the zone is plowed and treated with salt. The larger arterial and collector streets are considered primary routes and will be the first to receive treatment, including emergency vehicle routes. Secondary streets will be treated when all primary routes have been plowed.

   The Dump Trucks are large and difficult to maneuver in smaller areas such as cul-de-sacs and parking lots. This creates a need for “Pickup Plow” routes. These are maintained by pickup trucks and bobcats with plows attached. Each of the five Pickup Plow zones is assigned two employees working the same 12-hour shift as the Dump Truck drivers.

   “These Rolla City employees are dedicated to keeping the streets in town as safe as possible and take pride in their work,” said Steve Hargis, Director of Public Works. “During the recent winter storm, several employees went so far as to bring an extra change of clothing with them in case they were unable to return home or their replacement could not make it to work.”

   The Public Works Department asks that citizens please be patient. “It is not always possible to clear the streets to bare asphalt,” said Hargis. “This last storm was almost four inches of solid ice and very difficult to plow.”

  Keep in mind that primary routes must be plowed first to ensure that emergency vehicles can reach their destination. And if at all possible, please park your vehicles/trucks off the street and avoid shoveling your driveway until the plows have gone by.

   For more information, and to view a series of snow plowing route maps (primary and secondary) and salting route maps throughout the City of Rolla, please visit www.rollacity.org. For more information on Emergency Preparedness and Planning, please visit www.rollaciry.org/emergency. To contact the Public Works Dept. throughout the work week (8 a.m.– 5 p.m.), please call 364-8659. 

Click here for Rolla Dump Truck and Snow and Plow Route maps

Click here for Rolla Pick-Up Plow Route maps

Celebration of Nations set for Sat., Sept. 24 in downtown Rolla

The 2nd Annual Celebration of Nations will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011 beginning with a parade on Pine Street at 11 a.m. The parade will end at the downtown bandshell and festival lot at the corner of 9th and Oak streets across from Rolla City Hall where the festival will continue through 5 p.m.

For more information, please contact event organizer Stephane Menand, Student Program Administrator, International Affairs Office, Missouri S&T, at (573) 341-6237 or at menands@mst.edu. 

Emergency Shelters available for those without power in Rolla

The impending winter storm forecasted for the Rolla area may bring freezing rain, sleet, snow and severe icing on trees and power lines, homes and businesses in the Rolla area. If you are without power or in need of an emergency shelter, the American Red Cross has designated First United Methodist Church, located at 804 N. Main Street, as an emergency shelter for the Rolla area. An overflow shelter will also be made available if necessary, at Eugene Northern Community Hall located at 400 West Fourth Street in Rolla. There will be a bed capacity of 75, and limited food and water supply.

Individuals going to the emergency shelters are asked to please bring their own toiletries and bedding. Personal comfort items, medications and medical equipment should also be included. Individuals that need assistance with mobility, personal hygiene or feeding should come to a shelter with a family member or friend to assist them.

A warming shelter will also be available during normal operating hours at The Centre, Rolla’s health and recreation complex, located at 1200 N. Holloway Street.

The City of Rolla is also urging all motorists and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution and to pay particular attention to icing on bridges, intersections and sidewalks. For more information, please call the Rolla Police Department at 308-1213.