Omaha Forums

I have seen some negative comments about snow removal on Facebook pages.  I would give the city a solid B+ for now.  The main street near me (Pacific) was as clean as could be well before dawn this morning.  Now, few could get to it because the side streets were impassible, but that is totally due to the winds.  The main streets have to be the first priority, and then they work down the food chain from there.  If the wind dies off later today I would expect most if not all side streets would be plowed at least once before the morning commute on Thursday.

nativeomahan wrote:I have seen some negative comments about snow removal on Facebook pages.  I would give the city a solid B+ for now.  The main street near me (Pacific) was as clean as could be well before dawn this morning.  Now, few could get to it because the side streets were impassible, but that is totally due to the winds.  The main streets have to be the first priority, and then they work down the food chain from there.  If the wind dies off later today I would expect most if not all side streets would be plowed at least once before the morning commute on Thursday.

One thing I noticed (and commented on) on the WOWT site is that the majority of people bitching are those who live way out west. They all |expletive| move out there, force the city to expand outward resulting in increased service area, cry when taxes need to be raised to pay for the increased coverage and then |expletive| more when their street isn't plowed immediately.

All I can say is that it's a good thing I'm not mayor.

Bosco55David wrote:

nativeomahan wrote:I have seen some negative comments about snow removal on Facebook pages.  I would give the city a solid B+ for now.  The main street near me (Pacific) was as clean as could be well before dawn this morning.  Now, few could get to it because the side streets were impassible, but that is totally due to the winds.  The main streets have to be the first priority, and then they work down the food chain from there.  If the wind dies off later today I would expect most if not all side streets would be plowed at least once before the morning commute on Thursday.

One thing I noticed (and commented on) on the WOWT site is that the majority of people bitching are those who live way out west. They all |expletive| move out there, force the city to expand outward resulting in increased service area, cry when taxes need to be raised to pay for the increased coverage and then |expletive| more when their street isn't plowed immediately.

All I can say is that it's a good thing I'm not mayor.

Don't annexations increase the city's tax base?

Dark Eyes wrote:Don't annexations increase the city's tax base?

Yes, but they also increase the sprawl that causes the inefficiencies.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Dark Eyes wrote:Don't annexations increase the city's tax base?

Yes but that doesn't always mean more money to spend. Pepperwood's property tax assessment would drop to the city rate and bring in less total $$$ than the SID currently hauls in. The rest of the city would be chipping in to pay off Pepperwood development bonds, but garbage service and snow removal would go to heck.

Douglas County plows our streets and cleaned out the cul-de-sac by 2pm. The mighty TORO cleared the driveway and sidewalk late this afternoon.

So who in city hall is pocketing the money that should be put into snow removal? Frankly the city of Omaha did a crappy job plowing residential streets in 1969. We drove down from Sioux City to Clarkson the day after a snowstorm. Sioux City residential streets, I-29, and Dodge St had all been cleared. A right turn off Dodge by Arby's and it was foot deep slush that hadn't been touched with a plow. There wasn't all that much out west to blame the pitiful snow removal on.

Bosco55David wrote:

nativeomahan wrote:I have seen some negative comments about snow removal on Facebook pages.  I would give the city a solid B+ for now.  The main street near me (Pacific) was as clean as could be well before dawn this morning.  Now, few could get to it because the side streets were impassible, but that is totally due to the winds.  The main streets have to be the first priority, and then they work down the food chain from there.  If the wind dies off later today I would expect most if not all side streets would be plowed at least once before the morning commute on Thursday.

One thing I noticed (and commented on) on the WOWT site is that the majority of people bitching are those who live way out west. They all |expletive| move out there, force the city to expand outward resulting in increased service area, cry when taxes need to be raised to pay for the increased coverage and then |expletive| more when their street isn't plowed immediately.

All I can say is that it's a good thing I'm not mayor.

You're waaaay off.  Moving into an SID way out west doesn't have any impact on City or County snow removal in the subdivisions.  The SID pays for the private snow removal.  We don't "force" the city to do anything.  In fact, the city forces us into annexation.  If the city can't provide adequate service, then they shouldn't annex.  Period.  Those people on the other message boards were use to having stellar service, got annexed against their will, and now find their streets are dangerous to drive on because the city can't plan for shiat.

What the city should do is continue the private snow removal of our subdivisions using a portion of our property taxes.  Our taxes are lowered almost a full 1% when we're annexed, so we would still come out ahead if they lowered our property taxes by .08 and used that .02% for snow removal.

bradley414 wrote:You're waaaay off.  Moving into an SID way out west doesn't have any impact on City or County snow removal in the subdivisions.  The SID pays for the private snow removal.  We don't "force" the city to do anything.  In fact, the city forces us into annexation.  If the city can't provide adequate service, then they shouldn't annex.  Period.  Those people on the other message boards were use to having stellar service, got annexed against their will, and now find their streets are dangerous to drive on because the city can't plan for shiat.

What the city should do is continue the private snow removal of our subdivisions using a portion of our property taxes.  Our taxes are lowered almost a full 1% when we're annexed, so we would still come out ahead if they lowered our property taxes by .08 and used that .02% for snow removal.

When did I say anything about SID's?

Days like the last two I am glad I live in an SID -- and I am not way out west (78th & Sorensen Parkway) We have private contractor that takes care of the streets. I live on a pretty steep cul de sac and I probably would still be waiting for the city.

Yes annexation increases the tax base but also adds on to the area that the city is now responsible. My guess is Elkhorn's residential snow removal is not what it use to be once they became part of the city.

Whats a reasonable time for the city to get the first round of plowing done?  With the conditions we have I think they are doing a great job.  Its been less than 24 hours since it has stopped snowing, and its been less than 12 hours since the wind has calmed down.  If my street is plowed within 24 hours on a normal storm and on something this crazy 36 ours I am happy.  I don't understand why everyone thinks its there god given right to have their streets plowed within 5 min of a storm.  If we lived in Minnesota or somewhere it snowed all the time, I would expect more.  But I don't see the need to waste a whole bunch of money on snow removal equipment for the couple of BIG storms we get every year.  Also this is the first storm I can remember in a while where I absolutely can't get out.  Also with -10 tonight, I don't really want to get out.

Bosco55David wrote:

nativeomahan wrote:I have seen some negative comments about snow removal on Facebook pages.  I would give the city a solid B+ for now.  The main street near me (Pacific) was as clean as could be well before dawn this morning.  Now, few could get to it because the side streets were impassible, but that is totally due to the winds.  The main streets have to be the first priority, and then they work down the food chain from there.  If the wind dies off later today I would expect most if not all side streets would be plowed at least once before the morning commute on Thursday.

One thing I noticed (and commented on) on the WOWT site is that the majority of people bitching are those who live way out west. They all |expletive| move out there, force the city to expand outward resulting in increased service area, cry when taxes need to be raised to pay for the increased coverage and then |expletive| more when their street isn't plowed immediately.

All I can say is that it's a good thing I'm not mayor.

The homeowners don't design the cities. They move where the city has allowed for residential zoning. Blame the city.

The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

ShawJ wrote:The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

In urban areas.  Its actually a great idea.  Instead of burring in cars at meters and making an absolute mess, they pile it in the middle and then pick it up at night.  After the mess I saw last year, I think its a great change.

Brad wrote:

ShawJ wrote:The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

In urban areas.  Its actually a great idea.  Instead of burring in cars at meters and making an absolute mess, they pile it in the middle and then pick it up at night.  After the mess I saw last year, I think its a great change.

I agree, putting it in the center of the downtown streets is the best way to go, as long as they get it hauled away within a couple of days.

Plowing it to the sides, burying the curbs, sidewalks, cars, and parking meters makes a huge mess that takes weeks to clean-up, plus the gutters and storm drains remain blocked preventing run-off when it starts thawing and creating huge puddles pedestrians have to jump in or step into when they park along the curbs. Prior to this year they used to use front end loaders to painstakingly clear the snow from around the meters, sidewalks and curbs, days or weeks later....what a mess.

Tonight they started the process of using a huge snow blower to throw it into dump trucks lined up to haul it away.

Sure it's inconvenient navigating around the center piles for a while, but the snow will all be gone quicker this way. This storm was also a bit unusual...probably a once in 5-year event.

Normal for my street is 24 hours after snow ends, however I was going to give them 36 due to the severity of the storm.  They did it in 21 hours and they made FIVE passes down my hill!  A+ all the way!

Remember to shovel out any fire hydrants on your property too!

I live in an SID and Douglas County takes care of the streets.   The last time they came through was Tuesday evening around 5, and it's now 2 AM on Thursday.  So I'd have to grade them poorly this time.  Usually they have the streets totally cleaned a couple hours after the storm ends, and have made passes during the storm.   Half the round-about in front of my home is still blocked by a 2-3 foot drift.  People were getting stuck on the other side of it all day, even 4x4 pickups and SUVs.

Council Bluffs does a GREAT job of clearing our streets!

Bosco55David wrote:

bradley414 wrote:You're waaaay off.  Moving into an SID way out west doesn't have any impact on City or County snow removal in the subdivisions.  The SID pays for the private snow removal.  We don't "force" the city to do anything.  In fact, the city forces us into annexation.  If the city can't provide adequate service, then they shouldn't annex.  Period.  Those people on the other message boards were use to having stellar service, got annexed against their will, and now find their streets are dangerous to drive on because the city can't plan for shiat.

What the city should do is continue the private snow removal of our subdivisions using a portion of our property taxes.  Our taxes are lowered almost a full 1% when we're annexed, so we would still come out ahead if they lowered our property taxes by .08 and used that .02% for snow removal.

When did I say anything about SID's?

How do you think those neighborhoods out west got started?  You're bitching about people moving way out west and causing problems for the city, which is completely wrong due to the way the city expands through SID's and Annexation.

Drove home from the Qwest Center Tuesday night at 9pm.  It was slower than usual of course, but got home just fine - the only problem came from getting into my driveway which was just a few minutes of difficulty.  Yesterday morning we had to be at Bergan Mercy by 9am for Mrs. Tuna's tonsillectomy and getting around was not a problem at all once I got shoveled my driveway.  Around 3-4pm we got our first pass by a plow on our street.  

Now, granted I'm not driving around a low clearance coupe but my SUV is still a FWD 4-cyl lightweight.  No 4x4 or AWD here.  I think they did a great job where I've been driving.

Brad wrote:

ShawJ wrote:The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

In urban areas.  Its actually a great idea.  Instead of burring in cars at meters and making an absolute mess, they pile it in the middle and then pick it up at night.  After the mess I saw last year, I think its a great change.

I completely agree.  You would think that a large, urban center like Omaha sitting in the middle of a region that can see extreme snowfall in winter would have figured this out by now.

Anyway, I'll wait to rate the snow removal until there has been any in my neighborhood. As of right now, the plows haven't made a single pass.

Good photo here of the center lane plowing:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20091210/NEWS01/712089947

That center lane piling sucks for pedestrians. Not that we matter or anything.

DTO Luv wrote:That center lane piling sucks for pedestrians. Not that we matter or anything.

Its actually better because there isn't a bunch of snow along the curb for weeks.  Its gone in 24 to 48 house.  I hate when there is that Icy Pile of sludge along the curb at crosswalks 2 weeks after a snowfall.

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:

Brad wrote:

ShawJ wrote:The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

In urban areas.  Its actually a great idea.  Instead of burring in cars at meters and making an absolute mess, they pile it in the middle and then pick it up at night.  After the mess I saw last year, I think its a great change.

I completely agree.  You would think that a large, urban center like Omaha sitting in the middle of a region that can see extreme snowfall in winter would have figured this out by now.

Anyway, I'll wait to rate the snow removal until there has been any in my neighborhood. As of right now, the plows haven't made a single pass.

They've been doing center lane snow pick-up in Bellevue for at least 12 years (which is as far back as I lived there).  Not sure why it took so long to catch on in Omaha.

I know when I left work early tuesday I thought the plowers were retarded. Some stacks came up to my waist. On a normal person that would be mid chest/stomach. I stayed home yesterday and got a ride today and didn't notice or pay attention if they were still there.

DTO Luv wrote:That center lane piling sucks for pedestrians. Not that we matter or anything.

Unless you have a driveway on one of the streets with center lane plowing.  The plows move snow away from the driveway, instead of completely blocking it and making it hard to turn into.  Curb side plowing also buries sidewalks, centerlane plowing keeps the sidewalks clear.  

I can't wait to dig out my driveway after the plows make it to my street....

bradley414 wrote:I can't wait to dig out my driveway after the plows make it to my street....

Do it as soon as they plow, its so much easier.  I was just getting in bed last night and heard the plow.  I got up, got ready and went out and did it then, you let it sit, it turns rock hard quickly.

Brad wrote:

bradley414 wrote:I can't wait to dig out my driveway after the plows make it to my street....

Do it as soon as they plow, its so much easier.  I was just getting in bed last night and heard the plow.  I got up, got ready and went out and did it then, you let it sit, it turns rock hard quickly.

I'm at work today.  

I have to say that the center lane plowing definitely helped downtown dig out- the snow lane on Harney was gone this morning. It did make it a little inconvenient if you were in the wrong lane and needed to turn, but people figured it out. The only recommendation I would have is to push the snow pile off the crosswalks so that pedestrians can still cross in the crosswalk. I'm sure the people that parked on the street also appreciated not having to dig their car out of a huge snowbank.

bradley414 wrote:

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:

Brad wrote:

ShawJ wrote:The piling up of snow in the center lanes of Dodge, is this a new strategy this year?

In urban areas.  Its actually a great idea.  Instead of burring in cars at meters and making an absolute mess, they pile it in the middle and then pick it up at night.  After the mess I saw last year, I think its a great change.

I completely agree.  You would think that a large, urban center like Omaha sitting in the middle of a region that can see extreme snowfall in winter would have figured this out by now.

Anyway, I'll wait to rate the snow removal until there has been any in my neighborhood. As of right now, the plows haven't made a single pass.

They've been doing center lane snow pick-up in Bellevue for at least 12 years (which is as far back as I lived there).  Not sure why it took so long to catch on in Omaha.

Omaha used to do it too. I think they stopped in the late 1990's or early 2000's.

As for what is best for pedestrians, I agree they should make sure the crosswalks are clear all the way across. Even if they're not, jumping over one pile in the center beats jumping over a pile at each curb and corner.

Had a friend post and some of the streets east of 72nd and to the north havent seen plows which will make it tough for the school buses tomorrow.

Well, my street hasn't even been touched yet, and I live almost in the heart of Dundee. All of the surrounding streets have been plowed. My mom's street hasn't been touched either. So I give them an F. But maybe I'm biased.

where's the "I don't know" choice?

Douglas County was on the streets of Pepperwood again this morning -- touching up the cul-de-sacs. Except for a couple of spots where they just didn't have any room to push the big drifts out of the way our streets are as clear as the main streets in Omaha. Douglas County gets an A. Omaha did do a nice job in Linden Estates -- but all I saw were private contractors working that neighborhood.

The weird thing, my neighborhood in the 90th and Fort area has been plowed 3 times.  First 2 by the city and the third by a private contractor.  It was great because they cleaned it the first time at night to get the street opened, but then they came back during the day when all the cars were gone to clean it curb to curb.  Some intersections are still bad, but there is just so much snow, there is no where to put it short of bringing in heavy equipment and pushing it back in to the boulevard.

Brad wrote:The weird thing, my neighborhood in the 90th and Fort area has been plowed 3 times.  First 2 by the city and the third by a private contractor.  It was great because they cleaned it the first time at night to get the street opened, but then they came back during the day when all the cars were gone to clean it curb to curb.  Some intersections are still bad, but there is just so much snow, there is no where to put it short of bringing in heavy equipment and pushing it back in to the boulevard.

I had heard that the city did a quick single pass in the neighborhoods to make a path out, and were planning on returning later to clean it up properly.  I haven't been able to verify that rumor though.

The plows went through my neighborhood at lunch.  My streets are finally passable!

Snow plow? Who needs snow plows when we have Subarus?



I bought a Legacy this summer (not the one above) and have yet to get stuck in anything for more than a few seconds. The snow plows buried me in a foot of snow twice this week and it took no more than one rock back and one rock forward to get out.

Brad wrote:The weird thing, my neighborhood in the 90th and Fort area has been plowed 3 times.  First 2 by the city and the third by a private contractor.  It was great because they cleaned it the first time at night to get the street opened, but then they came back during the day when all the cars were gone to clean it curb to curb.  Some intersections are still bad, but there is just so much snow, there is no where to put it short of bringing in heavy equipment and pushing it back in to the boulevard.

Therein lies  the problem.  One area done 3 times, others not even once.  On the news tonight on channel 7, they showed several neighborhoods that had not been touched once, with school buses stuck.  The city needs a  better system for knowing what has been done and what has not been done.

bbinks wrote:Therein lies  the problem.  One area done 3 times, others not even once.  On the news tonight on channel 7, they showed several neighborhoods that had not been touched once, with school buses stuck.  The city needs a  better system for knowing what has been done and what has not been done.

I thought they were adding GPS to the trucks to see where they have plowed/ not plowed?

Brad wrote:

bbinks wrote:Therein lies  the problem.  One area done 3 times, others not even once.  On the news tonight on channel 7, they showed several neighborhoods that had not been touched once, with school buses stuck.  The city needs a  better system for knowing what has been done and what has not been done.

I thought they were adding GPS to the trucks to see where they have plowed/ not plowed?

I heard that too, but it is apparently not working.   Maybe the schools should have just taken another day off to assure that all the roads would be clear by Monday.