Story by Chelsea Church
With one snow storm after the next, Tom Sliwoski and his crew have been pretty busy this past month keeping the roads safe for the citizens of Staunton.
Sliwoski is head of the snow plowing in Staunton. He oversees everything, makes sure everything is flowing properly and that all resources and equipment are up to date and ready to use. He also has to keep a close eye on the weather, so if a snow storm is coming this way, he and his team can “get ready” for what is about to come.
The way they do this is by looking over all of the equipment to make sure everything is working right, make sure they have salt to put on the roads and fuel for their plows, and by having people on standby that ready to go when they are needed. Each person is assigned certain routes and equipment for those routes.
“The main priority,” Sliwoski says, “are the main roads, especially Route 11 and Route 252.” They clear these roadways first because if there is an accident or back up on the interstate, those are the roads cars will be traveling on to continue to their destination.
The best way to make sure these main roads are cleared for the public is to plow when the snow starts coming down. Each storm is different, but it is important to have coordination with the weather and the workers, regardless if it is wet or dry snow. They need to be ready to have enough time to put salt down so it sticks, or to get the plows ready and on their routes. “There is no set formula on how to plow the roads. A lot of it is just experience and judgment calls,” Sliwoski says.
The biggest challenge the snow plow team faces is getting the job done safely and efficiently. Being on the road with other cars is difficult because cars try to pass snow plows and the plows cannot stop on a dime, so they need to be mindful of a safe traveling distance.
This last snow storm was also a challenge for the team by working for almost 30 hours to keep the roads plowed. They went out around 7 a.m. Saturday morning and finished around 11 or 12 the next day. They had a few resting and eating breaks, but were pretty much at it all day and night. After getting the main roads they have to go through the residential areas and then go back to others to make them as wide as possible or go to any they may have missed. Plowing snow is a pretty demanding job, but it something that must be done and must be done correctly for the people of the community.
When they are not plowing roads, they are washing and lubricating equipment, making sure storm drains are open, picking up trash, trimming trees, putting up signs, and repairing utility equipment.
Hopefully this town has seen enough snow for one winter, but if not, Tom Sliwoski and his team will be ready.
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