SNOW REMOVAL POLICY UPDATE

The Town of Sherman has updated its snow removal policy (see attached document).   Town residents are reminded that if you have a road emergency dial 911 or the Iron County Sheriff’s Office at 715.561.3800.  For a snow removal concern on the Town roads, call and leave a message on the road maintenance cell phone at 715.551.8845 or email the Town Road Supervisor at [email protected].

Town of Sherman, Iron County

Snow Removal Policy                          Revision Dated December 2022

The purpose of the snow removal policy is to provide guidelines to Town employees responsible for snow removal and further to provide expectations for residents with respect to the timing and other issues related to snow removal.  The Town maintains about 45 miles of roads (note that Hwy 182 and Hwy 47 are maintained by Iron County).  For a normal snow event, it currently takes about 21 man hours to plow the Town roads.  

All Town roads are designated snowmobile routes. Snowmobile season provides an important source of revenue for the few businesses located in Town and a recreation outlet for many Town residents and visitors.  There is a balance between providing roads that are safe for vehicle travel while also providing passage that is safe for snowmobiles to ride.  While it is acknowledged that a balanced approach to snow removal is needed, when making decisions, priority should be given to safe vehicle travel when it is necessary to choose between the two.

Snow removal inherently involves judgment calls.    The territory covered by the Town is twenty miles wide.  Snow could be falling at different rates on one end of Town compared to another end of Town.  The prevailing winds and related drifting will affect roads differently.   The makeup of the road (paved, chip seal or gravel) matters.  The timing of the snow event also matters – early season, late season, daytime, nighttime.  It is more economical and common practice to wait until a snow event is complete before snow removal activities commence.  The timing of when snow removal activities commence may not always be convenient for the resident.

The Town acknowledges its responsibility to remove snow and provide a safe system of roads.   Choosing to live in a remote northern Town, like Sherman, with limited resources does place some responsibility on the resident.  Residents should use extreme caution when driving in the winter months and make plans in advance for the likely possibility their road may not be plowed as quickly as one might hope.     

Guidelines:

5. Snow removal activities will commence either: 1) Upon completion of a snow event AND after 3” of snow has fallen or 2) by 6am the following morning after the snow event is completed.  (See exceptions noted below).  This normally means 3” of snow as measured at the Town Garage.  However, awareness should be given to the fact that snow falls could vary in different parts of Town.
6. Whenever possible, priority will be given to first plow roads where a school bus operates and also where fire department and first responder volunteers live.
7. Use of salt and chemicals on the roads should be limited. However there will be times when sand/salt is applied especially to hills, curves and approaches to intersections.  At the discretion of the road crew, intersections or roads may be winged back to improve visibility and provide space needed for plowing future snow events.
8. Those riding snowmobiles are reminded that operating on Town roads is a privilege and should not be abused. Please be respectful of other vehicles and Town employees performing their duties and reduce your speed to 10mph when passing pedestrians.    Give space and reduce your speed when riding on Town roads.
9. Town roads will not be scraped down to the pavement or base gravel. Rather, the plows are fitted with ‘wheels’ that allow for a base of snow to build up on the road during the snow season.  As this base builds, it is generally safer to allow some snow to remain after a snow event to afford better traction.
10. EXCEPTIONS TO THE 3”  SNOWFALL:
    1. Early season snow falls before the frost has set and late season snowfalls after the road weight limits have been posted require special consideration. This time of year requires more judgment calls by the road superintendent and road crew.  Some items for consideration:
       1. Plowing roads before the frost has set or after the road limits have been posted can cause damage to the roads and potentially significant repair costs to the Town.
       2. In these times it may be possible to plow a paved or chip sealed road but not plow a gravel road. Residents should expect that there may be instances, where some Town roads are plowed and some Town roads are not plowed.  We expect these instances to be rare.
    2. Heavy snowfalls or the availability of road staff may require some alternations to the normal snow removal process. Depending on the situation this may include only making an initial pass with the trucks and following up the next day with a more detailed plowing that clears intersections or widens the road.  Residents should expect this to occur at certain times during the snow season.
    3. There may be an occasional time where your road is not timely plowed due to the circumstances noted in ‘a’ and ‘b’ above. As a resident living in the northern Wisconsin you should have preparations in place for the likely possibility of this happening each snow season.
11. Sometime after March 15 and before the road weight limits are enforced, the Town will begin removing the base layer snow that has accumulated during the season. This is usually accomplished by scraping the base layer as the weather warms and days get longer.  This time of the season, sometimes lasting a couple of weeks, often results in the roughest roads because of the rutting.
12. During the winter season, residents should keep their fire number sign cleared so that the First Responders, Ambulance Service or Fire Department can easily locate your residence in the case of an emergency.
13. If you have a road emergency dial 911 or the Iron County Sheriff’s Office at 715.561.3800.
14. If you have a snow removal concern on the Town roads, please review the guidelines listed above. If you still feel that something needs to be addressed you may leave a message on the Road Maintenance Cell Phone at 715.551.8845.  Note that road maintenance personnel normal working hours are Monday – Thursday from 7am to 3pm.   Alternatively, you may also email the Town Road Supervisor at [email protected].  These emails are usually checked on a routine basis.
15. The Town Chair, or in his/her absence either Town Supervisor, may declare a ‘snow emergency’. A declaration of a snow emergency allows a person with a regular driver’s license to plow snow within the jurisdiction of the Town of Sherman.