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Last week, while many of us were working from home or enjoying a snow day off, city staff were working tirelessly to keep local roads safe for motorists and keep the electricity and water flowing.

“As temperatures dropped and the roads became slick, dedicated workers from the Public Works Department stayed on the job sanding streets to prevent access and improve traction,” City Manager Patrick Bowie said, relaying information from Public Works Director Bo Prather.

City of LaGrange workers spread around 300 tons of sand and two pallets of rock salt to provide traction and help melt ice on the roadways.

The city only has one spreader truck. The sand and salt are kept on hand all year round in case of emergency. Keeble Construction assisted and provided two additional spreader trucks and staff to go with them, Bowie said.

“We want to thank people for coming out and helping us out,” Bowie said. “These additional trucks made a big difference, helping to cover more ground faster and ensuring the major routes and intersections were treated efficiently.”

Bowie and Prather also thanked the police and fire departments who worked around the clock, responding to emergency calls and providing assistance when needed. 

“Firefighters and officers bravely dealt with everything from car accidents to impassable roads. Their teamwork was invaluable, with officers managing traffic and directing drivers to avoid the most dangerous areas. All in all, was a true team effort that involved the collaboration of many different departments, each playing a vital, vital role in keeping the city moving during a challenging time,” Bowie said.

The city remained open during the storm for those employees who could make it in, but quite a few were not able to traverse the roadways. Others picked up the slack in critical functions, Bowie said.

“Some shift workers could not make it. They were snowed in, and they couldn’t get out of their houses. So we had people like Jason Clifton at the water plant work all night,” Bowie said. “They work 12-hour shifts. Some of these guys could not come in, so people volunteered to come in and stay in to help for those shifts that couldn’t be replaced because their folks just didn’t get here.”

Bowie said they decided to pay everybody a minimum of eight hours because they could not get to work because it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t get in, but he did reward the guys that did come in and were able to get to work, so they were given two extra hours of overtime.

“It’s just a bonus for coming in and making an effort to get here and keep things going, because everything the city does is pretty much critical and important, particularly during periods of bad weather,” Bowie said. “I’m proud of everybody that worked. What they did was a really good effort from everybody.”