Winter came early this year as southern Wisconsin was impacted by a massive snowstorm Nov. 29 and 30, followed by smaller bouts of precipitation and colder temperatures in the weeks that followed. The snow began early in the morning and did not end until nearly 24 hours later in some areas. According to the National Weather Service, many areas in southeast Wisconsin saw snowfall totals of 8 to 12 inches, with some areas seeing between 12 and 18 inches.
Snow blanketed not only sidewalks but also public parking lots. The traffic and structure of parking lots can make for an easy place for spinouts and accidents, so snow plowing companies are out almost immediately to take care of the snow. Samuel Hatchett, owner of Pro Landscape Supply, says he was plowing parking lots at Walmart, Generac, Qdoba, Aldi and many more for 36 hours straight during the snowstorm.
“We try to shoot for four to five-and-a-half hours for a typical end-to-end full plow route, but when we have storms like this weekend, we pretty much just start until we hit our first inch and continue to keep places open and accessible,” Hatchett said. “Generac has to stay open because they’re 24 hours. Same with Walmart because traffic is pretty continuous through there.”
Hatchett noted that one thing that helps his crew work through big snowfalls is the large equipment they have, including payloaders, skidloaders and plow trucks. However, the large equipment does not remove all the struggles that come with keeping parking lots plowed.
“There’s a challenge to every single [place we plow],” Hatchett said. “Take Walmart where people are continuously backing out in front of you, people are walking everywhere and they have to push their carts through the snow. We have to pretty much babysit sites like that 24/7.”
Though everybody has a place they need to go, Hatchett does encourage people to be extra cautious around snow plows by remaining vigilant. Some safety tips Hatchett provided include yielding to snow plows and parking where snow has already been plowed.
With the unprecedented amount of snow, Whitewater Director of Public Works Brad Marquardt released a public service announcement reminding residents to take care of their own sidewalks and driveways.
“To keep sidewalks safe and walkable during winter, city law requires everyone who owns or manages property next to a sidewalk to clear snow and ice promptly after each storm,” Marquardt said in the statement.
The city law specifically states that all snow and ice must be cleared from sidewalks within 24 hours after a major snow or ice event. The city of Whitewater is able to remove the snow or ice from a person’s sidewalk, but the person must pay a fee of $100 per hour on the first removal and $150 per hour for any future removals.
