The CAO in Merritt is apologizing to Merrittonians for the failings of the snow removal process after a significant storm four days before Christmas last month.
Sean Smith says the city of Merritt did not meet people’s expectations, and he says they can and will do better in the future.
“On Dec. 21 we had 44 cm of snow fall. You know the highest we’d seen in a single day before that was 42 cm on Dec. 29, 1996,” he said, referring to the most recent publicly available data from Environment Canada covering the 30-year period from 1981 to 2010.
“This was a really significant snowfall and we threw everything we had at it, and it just wasn’t enough. Really its about apologizing and saying here are some opportunities for improvement moving forward.”
He says snow accumulated faster than crews could manage, which led to layers of compact snow building up on side streets.
“City maintained sidewalks were not cleared as quickly as they ordinarily would be. These issues were compounded as 12 more centimeters of snow fell over the course of the next week. We fell behind and never caught up,” noted Smith.
Smith says the city of Merritt threw everything it had at the storm, noting there is room for improvement. Since 2018, when the current council was elected, the snow removal budget has been increased each year from the $72,000 it was from 2015 to 2017, to $89,453 in 2018, $95,754 in 2019 and $106,589 in 2020.
“We’ve designed this snow program around the typical conditions that we see. Kamloops is similar to Merritt in that when we get snow, it tends to melt,” he added. “In this situation, where you have that much snow, being able to have plans on how you are going to address the more exceptional situations is what we really need to hone in on.”
In his letter, Smith is also asking people to not be abusive towards Merritt staff and council, saying they are open to feedback on how to do better next time.
“Staff and Council have been cursed at, flipped off, and been the subject of dozens of comments, both in-person and online, that is downright cruel. On multiple occasions, equipment operators have been stopped in the streets only to be yelled at. Nobody deserves this kind of treatment. These actions demoralize and hurt people that are trying their best to serve their community,” said Smith.
“Hold us accountable for our response to one of the largest snowfalls that Merritt has seen in the past 40 years. Require us to put plans in place to ensure that the next time this happens, service is better. In doing that, be civil and kind.”
And he tells NL News he was glad to see how people came together to support those who needed help.
“I’ve seen all kinds of examples of people out shovelling driveways, supporting some of the elderly or the disabled in their neighbourhoods,” Smith added.
“I just don’t want people to lose sight of the amazing stories that we have seen throughout this period of support and community, and I think that’s really what ought to be highlighted is the way that the community banded together during what was a pretty crazy storm.”
You can read Smith’s letter to Merrittonians here.
(Photo via City of Merritt)
