MONROE - The snow piles up in the driveway, you shovel it off and it piles up again, partly thanks to the wind and also from our local plows trying to clear the road.
It can be a frustrating cycle.
Roger Walker, 72, Monroe, said he had to clear out his driveway on 15th Avenue three times over the weekend thanks to the drifting snow, as well as plows filling in his driveway. Walker said he doesn't want to gripe about city workers doing their jobs, he just wants to start a conversation to help solve the issue for seniors who have trouble shoveling this much snow.
"We have to start some kind of positive dialogue about this," Walker said. "I don't want people to think this is just a bunch of senior citizens being crabby.
"Let's just look at our standpoint and figure out how to solve this problem."
Walker said he was also worried for seniors and their health when they have to lift large quantities of snow in inclement weather.
Director of Public Works Colin Simpson said the city had snow plows working until late Sunday evening before white-out conditions forced the city to pull the plows at about 7 p.m. The plows returned to the streets at about 1 a.m. Monday.
Wind gusts got up to 47 mph, as recorded by the Monroe Fire Department at Station One on 4th Avenue West. Snowfall ranged from 8 inches in Monticello to about 10 inches across the Monroe area.
Simpson said that depending on the severity of the storm, the city has as many as 12 plow trucks to use on the streets and additional front-end loaders, a back hoe and a smattering of pickup trucks and skid loaders. He said city streets were mostly clear by the late morning on Monday and the city would begin trucking snow off the Square to the Green County Fairgrounds, as well as clearing off city-owned properties and sidewalks.
"The main priority is clearing the streets and making them passable," Simpson said.
He said they had not received any complaints about plows blocking cars in or filling in driveways, and asked that citizens not shovel their snow out into the roadway.
"We have not gotten any complaints. ... We need to make sure folks are not putting snow into the streets," Simpson said.
A few Monroe citizens who were out re-shoveling their driveways and sidewalks Monday lauded the city's work on the roads.
Diane Blum was shoveling her sidewalk on 7th Street, for the second time after her snow blower died.
"It was a waste of time last night," Blum said. "Every time you would blow it, the wind would just blow it right back in your face."
Blum said shoveling was a pain, but it's hard to complain when you live in Wisconsin.
"I guess we could have moved out east, but we live here," she said.
Leon Brunner, who was snow-blowing his driveway on 16th Street, said he thinks the city has done a great job of clearing the streets following the ugly winter storm.
"Oh yeah, they've done just fine," Brunner said.
Walker said he doesn't want to complain about the snow, he just wants an economical way to solve the problem.
"I see the problem, but complaining about it is not going to do anything about it," Walker said.
It can be a frustrating cycle.
Roger Walker, 72, Monroe, said he had to clear out his driveway on 15th Avenue three times over the weekend thanks to the drifting snow, as well as plows filling in his driveway. Walker said he doesn't want to gripe about city workers doing their jobs, he just wants to start a conversation to help solve the issue for seniors who have trouble shoveling this much snow.
"We have to start some kind of positive dialogue about this," Walker said. "I don't want people to think this is just a bunch of senior citizens being crabby.
"Let's just look at our standpoint and figure out how to solve this problem."
Walker said he was also worried for seniors and their health when they have to lift large quantities of snow in inclement weather.
Director of Public Works Colin Simpson said the city had snow plows working until late Sunday evening before white-out conditions forced the city to pull the plows at about 7 p.m. The plows returned to the streets at about 1 a.m. Monday.
Wind gusts got up to 47 mph, as recorded by the Monroe Fire Department at Station One on 4th Avenue West. Snowfall ranged from 8 inches in Monticello to about 10 inches across the Monroe area.
Simpson said that depending on the severity of the storm, the city has as many as 12 plow trucks to use on the streets and additional front-end loaders, a back hoe and a smattering of pickup trucks and skid loaders. He said city streets were mostly clear by the late morning on Monday and the city would begin trucking snow off the Square to the Green County Fairgrounds, as well as clearing off city-owned properties and sidewalks.
"The main priority is clearing the streets and making them passable," Simpson said.
He said they had not received any complaints about plows blocking cars in or filling in driveways, and asked that citizens not shovel their snow out into the roadway.
"We have not gotten any complaints. ... We need to make sure folks are not putting snow into the streets," Simpson said.
A few Monroe citizens who were out re-shoveling their driveways and sidewalks Monday lauded the city's work on the roads.
Diane Blum was shoveling her sidewalk on 7th Street, for the second time after her snow blower died.
"It was a waste of time last night," Blum said. "Every time you would blow it, the wind would just blow it right back in your face."
Blum said shoveling was a pain, but it's hard to complain when you live in Wisconsin.
"I guess we could have moved out east, but we live here," she said.
Leon Brunner, who was snow-blowing his driveway on 16th Street, said he thinks the city has done a great job of clearing the streets following the ugly winter storm.
"Oh yeah, they've done just fine," Brunner said.
Walker said he doesn't want to complain about the snow, he just wants an economical way to solve the problem.
"I see the problem, but complaining about it is not going to do anything about it," Walker said.