The City’s Street Department has generally been a maintenance crew. This means the department takes care of what the city currently has and makes repairs to extend the life of streets and storm sewers. The department takes care of everything that is under the street, beside the street, hanging over the street, and draining off the street.
The department generally does not get involved in new construction until the project has been completed and turned over to the city. The projects handled by the Street Department range from concrete street patching, ADA-compliant concrete ramp replacement, bridge deck repairs, guardrail repairs, asphalt street patching, curb replacement, grading gravel streets and alleys, crack sealing, sign installation and replacement, snow removal, highway mowing and trimming, traffic management, mosquito spraying, demolitions, storm cleanup, tree removal and trimming of overhanging branches, culvert cleaning, ditch cleaning, and storm sewer repairs and replacements.
People are also reading…
The Street Department also does the heavy lifting for the annual Clean City large-item collection event. Over the four-day event, the crew works 10-hour days collecting unwanted large items from residents, loading them onto trucks, and hauling them to the landfill. It is a busy few days that require hard work and teamwork to get the job done.
Then there are always the “duties as assigned,” or special projects the department works on. These have included tearing down parts of the Dempster’s building, hauling dirt to rebuild the shooting range for the Police Department, building new access roads into the landfill, and replacing 80 feet of 60-inch culvert under east Grant Street.
Almost every day, the superintendent receives phone messages or has someone stop to ask if the department could look at a spot, a tree hanging in the street, or a sidewalk that is unsafe. A couple of topics that come up often have to do with the right-of-way, trees on the right-of-way, and sidewalks.
The right-of-way is a strip of property along the roadway that is designated for public use. This right-of-way allows the appropriate governing body the right to access and perform work on utilities.
This brings us to trees on the right-of-way, which may be the number one reason people call.
“I have a tree on your right-of-way that is dropping branches. I want you to remove it.”
The Street Department will only remove trees on the right-of-way if they are dead or pose a hazard to the traveling public. Branches that fall from trees in the right-of-way into a property owner’s yard are the property owner’s responsibility.
Sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner. Repairs to sidewalks that are heaving, broken, or missing are the property owner’s responsibility, too. The Street Department replaces sidewalks when they must be removed as part of a street or storm sewer repair.
This information clarifies the variety of responsibilities the Street Department handles and the work that goes on behind the scenes to help keep the community running smoothly. The department maintains safe streets, addresses maintenance needs, and takes care of the infrastructure residents rely on every day. There is more to the job than meets the eye, and the department is committed to serving the community.
