This is a couple days late, but I still wanted to give a big thank you to all the folks who have been working so hard at clearing the huge snowfall Idaho Falls received.
The snow began falling on Christmas Eve day, and some of those workers were already out clearing our roads. Christmas Day I was amazed to see quite a few of our city roads already plowed, the main road through my neighborhood had already been cleared also.
I hope those folks got paid well for going out and performing this work on their Christmas Holiday. If you simply helped out others with shoveling their snow or helped to push stuck cars out, then thanks to you also for giving your strength and time to help others. Our annual snowstorms are a great opportunity to tighten our community bonds.
Some folks grumble about the higher taxes we pay in Idaho Falls city limits, but it’s times like this where you can clearly reap the benefits of those city taxes. I traveled around Bonneville County, Ammon, and Ucon a bit over the holiday and did not see their streets cleared like Idaho Falls’.
I see it is still snowing outside at this moment, but does anyone know how many inches of snowfall Idaho Falls received since December 24? Also, anyone know guidelines on when and if we should be concerned about removing snow from our roofs to avoid cave-ins? Thanks in advance!
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Gato got runned over by Marcus many moons ago. Be ye daft, 2486? 
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
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First of all, I really appreciate all of the city workers and especially those who had to work extra during our recent storms. Joe, I’m glad that your neighborhood roads have begun to be cleared.
Personally, I have not seen any snow cleared in my neighborhood, even for the main roads. The only places I have seen any evidence of snow being moved is on the main streets, such as Woodruff, Yellowstone, First Street, etc. But even on these streets there was still a big pile down the center as recently as this morning on the way to work. Trying to make a left turn, or break through the pile where nobody has already been is not an easy option.
I am glad that the city is issuing a snow alert and plowing the roads in our neighborhoods already. In the past they have usually waited way too long. But it makes me wonder, shouldn’t they finish clearing the main city streets first?
Yeah…..I was going to say the same thing. Number one, it’s been snowing almost everday for 2 weeks and they JUST started clearing the snow on the main roads. Number two, our neighborhood hasn’t even been touched. Not that it bothers me as I have a 4×4. However I have pulled a number of my neighbors out as quite a few of them have been stuck for days.
I appreciate all the work our city workers do to clear our roads, I just think they really dropped the ball on the major snowfall that has hit us the last week or so. From what I hear, we only have 4 working snowplows for the whole city. (at least that’s what channel 6 said last week) I personally think their slacking!! I know Joe wants everyone to think this city is so great and suck up to all the city officials, but lets get realistic here! I’ve been all over town all week, and there’s really not much being cleared expect for Yellowstone, 17th, Broadway, etc. Everywhere else, it’s every man/woman for themselves.
Just my 2 cents.
From what I’ve been told, due to budget restraints, the “Powers That Be” decided to wait until the second snowfall (the one we received yesterday) before they started plowing residential areas. I felt it was kind of a good move due to lack of money. I hate to see the entire budget eaten up in just a few days.
They should have plenty of “snow removal budget” left over from last year as we hardly had any snow then. We’ve had more snowfall this year so far than all winter last year. Perhaps they should get their priorities straight.
But then again what city in this country has their monetary affairs in order? (not many)
As of late Thursday evening they still haven’t even touched my neighborhood and the roads are getting worse. Its getting almost impossible to get out now that the snow is getting crusty which makes it easier to get stuck.
Heard they towed and ticketed about 100 cars today so they could plow roads. No wonder it takes so long. Now people will complain about having their cars towed. The Citizens Watch Patrol supposedly went door to door to try and get people to move their cars, but were told by some “No”. Guess there is no pleasing everyone.
There are some older homes in Idaho Falls that don’t appear to have ANY off street parking so I don’t know what those people are supposed to do with their vehicles. In those cases the fines should be waived. For the others who just don’t feel like moving their cars – just feel lucky the fine is so small. In many cities it costs several hundred dollars to get your car back after a tow.
Question to the city: What happened to all that spare cash you had lying around from not using your snow removal equipment AT ALL for the past several years???? Concerned citizens want to know.
Excellent question Cafe…
Poor babies can’t handle the snow? Were your fathers and grandfathers pampered.
All you tight taxpayers need to cough up a bunch of tax dollars to buy the city more equipment.
You all need to visit other “snow” town to see how great you have it.
Signed, I have a shovel and know how to use it and I don’t have to be “taken” care of!
We John get your Big Bad Self out on the streets and get ta shoveling…and don’t forget a BIG Hat to keep that Bucket Head Warm.
It’s not a matter of being taken care of. It’s a matter of we pay taxes for these services and they are sorely lacking at this moment. I got home last night after being out of town for a week and had to take a running start to get into my driveway. I’m in now and can’t get out until they plow the public roadway which our taxpayer money pays for.
Part of the problem is poor management at the city level. The Street Sup need to get the jelly doughnut out of his face and get on a shovel. Poor management starts at the Mayor and goes down the food chain. Hopefully if there is any real serious crisis in the future the powers to be will be out of town on vacation.
Yeah John….get over yourself! We’re not talking about our own driveways or sidewalks….we’re talking about the city streets. For which we ALL pay taxes to have the snow removed. If you would have actually read this post and what others have posted, you would have realized that before spouting off at the mouth.
MY driveway is shoveled….I’ve been shoveling it everyday for the past two weeks. However the street I live on has got 12 +inches of snow on it and most of my neighbors don’t have 4×4’s and can’t get out of their homes. We pay taxes for this service and only want what the city is supposed to provide us. They have no problem issuing tickets and towing cars, but they can’t plow the road even once since all this snow started falling 2 weeks ago.
Sounds like we have a lot of potential Mayors and Street Foremans out there that can do a better job.
Please apply!!!!
I’m not interested in telling people how to do their jobs. I’m interested in having a public street plowed in a timely manner. It doesn’t seem to be a difficult concept to grasp. I expect services paid for to be performed properly. That does NOT include waiting five days for a street to be plowed. I fully realize it is not the individual workers fault. I’m not sure where the fault lies, but my current problem is that my street is not plowed. I don’t think making any changes to management is going to help the current situation, however. Someone told me that Rigby streets are all plowed. Anyone confirm this?
Wonderful. The city STILL has not plowed my neighborhood and now the snow is falling again meaning they will being doing arterials again and want to bet when they get that done they will just start over and replow the streets they have already done and ignore those that didn’t get done the first time. My street is now impassable to anything but a 4 wheel drive and even that is iffy.
And yes this could have been done better. Most of this snow, before today anyway, fell on Monday. But it was Wednesday before the plows started hitting residential streets. I know Christmas was Tuesday and they probably didn’t want to make the plowers work on Christmas but the cops don’t get to take Christmas off. The fire fighters don’t get to take Christmas off. Its part of working for the government which is what we pay tax dollars for.
All I can say is that I’ve gotten zero for my tax dollars in snow removal. Its nice that they plowed arterials two blocks away from my house except it does me no good since that is two blocks I cannot make it in my car.
I checked with Idaho Falls City GIS and they show they presently have 280 miles of streets within city limits to take care of. It would be interesting to put a pencil to it and compare with other towns, cities and eqipment available to each and see how the ratios would work out and see what is reasonable time frame to take care of the many miles of road with snow continuing to accumulate.
280 miles of streets huh? That is how far it is to Boise. I wonder how long it would take the state to completely clean the freeway from here to Boise with only the total amount of equipment Idaho Falls has, adding the complication of cars parked all along partially in the way, intersections, continuing snow, etc?
Apparently nobody in city management had a workable plan for such a snow event, its not rocket science. The Mayor tells the Street Sup to get it done, the Street Sup uses what resources avilable to him to get the job done, if he needs more resources he tells the Mayor and the Mayor approves the needed rersources as what has happened in Idaho Falls…Hiring Contractors to haul off the snow. The problem is the city management waited and now they’re playing catch up, they were being “re-active” rather than “pro-active”. How many eldery residense are snowed in and CAN’T shovel themselves or their vehicles out? Dang old people needing to have the city take care of them…shame on them. How many city street intersections were sanded early on during the snow storm? seems to me if they would have been sanded then they would be somewhat clear now but what do I know I’m just a complaining tax payer who’s lived here over thirty years and looking for a city management job (tongue firmly in cheek). When the streets of the city are so bad that emergency vehicles ie: fire/ems/police have a hard time getting around then I don’t think it takes an nuclear engineer to figure out that theres a problem somewhere. Solution? Mangement get off their 3rd point of contact and get the situation corrected in a timely manner. When the city finally did request contractors the contracted resources were up and ready to go just waiting on the city to get their act together. Yes I can complain, I pay city taxes and I also pay our company’s employees to help clear snow, pull stuck vehicles out, and pay for the fuel, wear and tear of our equipment.
Here is another way they could have sped things up. Right now they are going slow because they are spending more time cleaning up the snow they are plowing than they are actually plowing. How about they plow all the streets first then go back and clean up the big snowbanks they make. Heck, plow my driveway shut. I can dig out a path for my car in about five to ten minutes. I can’t dig out two blocks of street.
I’ve lived here for over 20 years. When we had REAL winters and real snowfall almost every year the city had little problem keeping the streets clear. There were plows running 24/7 until the job was done. I have been all over the city since the snow started falling a few days ago and have seen very few city plows running. The main arterials are clear but most of the side streets are still buried. The only ones doing a fairly good job are the independents and private citizens who have their own plows but they can’t do the whole city. I think maybe the city guys have forgotten how to plan for or handle a real snowfall since we’ve had so many mild winters recently.
The plows finally came through my neighborhood late yesterday afternoon. Anyone in my neighborhood without 4 wheel drive has been stuck in their house for the past few days. I too have pulled out a number of my neighbors vehicles that have been stuck, so it was a welcome site to see 3 plows out working my neighborhood yesterday. I appreciate all the hard work these guys are doing as I’m sure it’s a pretty thankless job. It looks like the next couple of days are going to be hitting us pretty hard again with more snowfall, so I’m glad they at least got the deep stuff cleared out before this next storm hits.
Thanks again to all the guys out there clearing our streets! It’s much appreciated!
It is funny to see those few cars that didn’t get moved…..their completely buried! Ya snooze ya loose I guess.
They finally got my street plowed last night before 7pm, and it was nice for about two hours. Then, the locals blew all their driveway and walkway snow back out into the street (I do not, we put ours on our lawn, which sucks and builds a big hill but that’s better than putting it out into the street, imho).
Now it’s all nasty again, in front of certain houses.
I thought there was a law against putting your snow into the public street, but I’m sure that’s not being enforced, any more than they do the law about not keeping your RVs parked to obstruct traffic or the view or even the sidewalk itself.
But I agree, cheers to the workers who are getting the plowing done.
Jeers to the city for forgetting how to manage this weather (I agree it’s probably due to not having to worry about it for so long).
Wow, this site is full complainers and whinners who appear to not have any idea how things work, and only think about the present (me, me, me!).
If you will remember, just before the storm on the 24th, it got warm enough for most of the snow to melt off, including the snow from most yards.
Second, we live in Idaho: This may come as a bit of a suprise, but living in Idaho means we will probably get a large amount of snow from time to time. Yes, I will agree the last few years have spoiled those that migrated from Califonia (or forgot what our winters used to be like), but if they wanted to live as if still in California why did they leave. (I this of people from other countries that complain and try to make ours the same as the one they left as well.) I do have a 4X4, but my front wheel drive mini-van and front wheel drive car got through the snow just as easily. As a matter of fact, my spouse would have rather driven the front wheel drive van than the 4X4 truck.
Third, the money that is left over from the last few years cannot be stockpiled up as many questioned (I believe a state law prohibits this, but am not sure)
Fourth, I guess you were probably sitting in your warm house on Christmas day, but as I drove around I saw several snow plows on the roads. Yes the snow plow crews were working on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day (both designated city holidays). As far as I know, they only had a few hours off to spend Christmas morning with thier families. What were you doing that morning, and the rest of the day? Oh, I also drove through Ammon. What were they thinking? Several streets I drove on were only plowed on one side of the street.
Once again, it is all about ME! ME! ME!. Earlier someone complained about having their cars towed and then someone complained about the snow not being removed quick enough. Woudl you like the streets plowed or the vehicles left alone?
I think that our street crews did a fine job with what they were delt. If the city put too much money aside for snow removal many would complain, and if they put away less others complain. It is a no win situation. Would you be willing to put yourself in their shoes to fix the problem or just sit back and complain? I think I know the answer!
If snow removal and/or planning was my area of expertise, you bet I’d volunteer to help get the job done right. I think all most of us were saying is that we pay for this service to be performed in a timely manner. It hardly seems like too much to ask for that to be done. I know what it’s like to miss family members because they’re out plowing the snow for everyone else. That’s just the way life goes sometimes. When people sign on to be snow plow drivers they understand that it is part of the job to work when the snow flies. I don’t have a single issue with the individual workers. I take issue with the poor planning and management. I certainly do not expect perfection, but five days to clear a residential street? That seems a bit excessive.
love2ride…..if you don’t like the discussions and opinions on this site, then go elsewhere. Seems you’re being quite the hipocrite. YOU are complaining about other people complaining! So what’s the difference?
The fact of the matter is, the city was 4-6 days late (depending on the neighborhood) in clearing the roads. Something WE as taxpayers pay for. And something that was NOT taken care of in a timely manner. There are still roads in my neighborhood that aren’t cleared.
This site is about people discussing their opinions and points of view towards issues in our city and around the world. If you can’t handle other peoples opinions then perhaps this site isn’t for you. Just because your opinion differs from everyone elses, doesn’t make you any better than anyone else on this site. Just because the roads were cleared in your area, doesn’t mean they were cleared in other peoples neighborhoods. State your opinions, but don’t criticize others when they state theirs.
Have a Happy New Year everybody!
Guest_1234
Where did I ever say the roads in my neighborhood were cleared? Get YOUR facts straight. I would venture to guess that MY neighborhood was one of the last ones plowed.
“State your opinions, but don’t criticize others when they state theirs.” Apparantly you do not like me voicing MY opinion which is hypocritical in itself! Isn’t a debate a form of criticism? So are you saying you are opposed to a debate? I guess if it in not your oppinion, it must be wrong, is that what I am to understand? By the way, I believe my opinion (in general) does not differ from everyone elses’ – I believe Joe said he was appreciative of the street crew and the job they have done!
I think that people need to realize that the City Leaders are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t” and not too many of us would put ourselved in that position. I also believe that the managers of the street dept were working those days as well, so they are not sitting at home barking orders as some may guess.
Could someone please explain how you believe it took so long for the streets to be plowed when the crews were out during the storms. They do start with the main roads and did on the 24th. That is a large job in itself and would probably take a day or two (I am guessing). Then they start with the residental streets. Oh wait, let us not forget that the next storm was only two days later, therefore they must start with the main roads again!!!!! Only makes sence to me! They have to start at square one. Thus it only took about three days for the residental streets to get plowed after the last storm. Seems pretty timely to me!
One of your statements is that there are still roads in your neighborhood that still aren’t cleared. Could it be that they plowed just before the next storm on Saturday or Sunday (I forget) so there is new snow since the plowing? Which streets are not plowed. I have driven around and found few if any that have not been plowed, but if there are any tell me where and I will call the street department to inquire why. I do not have any pull so don’t get the wrong idea, but if the supervisors do not know, how can they fix the problem? Now be mindful there are several strets in Idaho Fals that Bonneville County is responsible for, and one may not realize unless they ask the appropriate people.
My last question is this! Would you bel willing to pay more taxes for the snow to be removed more quickly? It takes a lot of money to pay for the machines and the manpower to plow the streets. Even if there is not very much snow (as in the last few years) we still must pay for the machinary as it is not paid for all at once and is not used for too many other jobs.
I believe the city contracts out a major part of the snow removal jobs, and that must cost quite a bit as well as no one will do much for free. So I ask again, would you be willing to pay more taxes to have machinary standing incase? I think I would not want a tax hike just to keep machines and personnel on stand-by (just in case).
Well I still think the city did a good job overall. Snow removal is kind of a gamble, because as you’ve seen the past few days the sun can help out and if you sent the plows out in full force too soon you can waste your money.
I was most impressed with the removal efforts on the 24th and 25th. Kudos to those workers who helped our city out on those days.
I did hear – from someone who lives there – that the streets in the Sage Lakes subdivision were plowed by the morning of the 26th. I also heard that that’s where the Mayor lives – funny how things work, isn’t it? Also, I drove down 2nd Street on the 29th – it hadn’t been plowed, but the numbered streets further south had been.
Try living in Ammon. We have been envious of the snow removal in IF. It took almost a week for me to see any evidence of plowing in Ammon in any main area.
This is a little off the subject but still kind of related.
Idaho State Police reported 160 accidents since last Monday. WTF??!! That’s just downright crazy and in my opinion, people living in this state should know how to drive in these types of conditions.
Now I’m fairly new to the area, but I’ve driven in these types of conditions enough times to know that one needs to take the necessary precautions when driving on icy/snow packed covered roads. Mainly, slow down and don’t follow to close being the main issues.
I was absolutely astonished at all the idiots on hwy 15, 20 & 26 over the Christmas break. People were literally flying by me like I was standing still and the roads were horrendous! I drove to both Pocatello and Blackfoot and Kelly Canyon on numerous occasions over the holidays and I saw dozens of vehicles that had slid off the road going both ways. Yet with all the vehicles in the ditches, people were still driving way too fast for conditions.
They had an Idaho State Police officer on 103.3fm this morning and the DJ’s were asking the officer questions regarding this very issue. One of the questions asked was “if the speed limit is 55(or whatever) and the roads are icy, yet the driver is still doing 55, will he be pulled over for going too fast for conditions”? The officer said no. The only time a person will get a ticket for driving too fast for conditions is if an accident has occurred and it can be proven that the person was driving too fast for the conditions.
THAT is the most ludicris thing I have EVER heard!! Which is obviously why there were over 160 accidents in ONE week! WAKE UP ISP and do your freakin jobs!
We live in a state that gets lots of ice and snow on the roads. The people in this state ALSO need to wake up and learn how to drive in these conditions. It just amazes me the amount of idiots on our roads and hwys going way too fast for conditions. How can there be SO many people living here that have absolutely no clue how to drive in these conditions?
It really boggles my mind!
We won’t even discuss the idiot that got drunk at a bar over New Years and walked home. Only to pass out in somebody’s backyard and freeze to death. The same thing happened last year behind DB’s. (ya gotta love natures way of weeding out the idiots)
I can assure you that the mayor does not live in Sage Lakes. I believe he lives somewhere on the numbered streets near Walgreens’. I think that can be figuerd out if a person were to do some research of incidents involving his family in the last few months.
He DOES live in Sage Lakes, do your research.
Guest007 needs to check things out. The mayor of Idaho Falls doesn’t live in sage lakes. You need to check out your facts. “love2ride” is correct.
The rumor goes around every year that the rich hoods get plowed first, and it is never true. The city has denied it, and my experiences visiting friends in wealthier neighborhoods has made me believe those hoods are in line with the rest of us to get plowed.
I know Mayor Fuhriman personally. He lives near Walgreens as was stated.
I was in Sage Lakes yesterday, and they definitely were not one of the first to be plowed. Parts of that area are pretty hard to negotiate.
I can also guarantee that the mayor does not live in Sage Lakes. His home is near Walgreens.
Sage Lakes is out of the city limits, therefore he could not live there and be mayor.
Sage Lakes itself is part of the City. The road leading to Sage Lakes is County.
Who really cares WHERE he lives?? It’s NOT important and there’s no sense getting into a … match over it! Geez people, grow up!
I suppose where the city mayor lives could be a topic of city discussion, but it seems gossipy and a waste of keystrokes to me. The original point someone tried to make was they believed his neighborhood got plowed unfairly earlier than others, and I don’t believe that’s the case.
I’mnot saying anything more on here…Joe just removes it
(
Just Kidding hehehe ;o)
Someone is confusing Sage Lakes with Fairway Estates, Sage Lakes is a golf course south of town and in the City limts. Fairway Estates is a subdivision with homes and a golf course north of town and also in the City Limits. Furhiman lives in neither.
One thing I’ve noticed this year is many more vehicles without snow tires. Worse yet is all the “pimp-mobiles” with 20 inch rims and wide profile street tires trying to drive in the snow! Talk about idiotic. If you’re going to live in Idaho you have to be prepared for winter driving. That means SNOW TIRES. Preferably with studs. By refusing to use snow tires these people are endangering the lives of every other driver who has to deal with them sliding all over the road. I was nearly nailed the other day by some fool in a minivan losing it on 17th. No snow tires of course.
Guest: I thought the golf course at Fairway Estates was Sage Lakes. Where is the other golf course you are talking about that is S of town?
The snow crews were out again today clearing ice from intersections, hopefully that helps the runoff get out and not pool up.
I’ve read the complaints here and I just didn’t experience that this year. I felt they handled snow removal as well as can be expected. I still think they did a good job, so kudos to those crews.
Yikes, we’re repeating last year’s cycle yet again: been snowing for days….and still no snow plows in sight. Boy, I wish I had 4-wheel drive! Given our high taxes, snow removal is the thing I would appreciate most from our local government. We moved from Chicago a few years ago (lower taxes, by the way) and that city knows how to plow roads–their crews are out before dawn and even the smallest allies get cleared. I would love to hire someone from Chicago’s road management to consult with the IF team and help them figure out a more effective plan for clearing our city’s roads!
You have to understand that our city is running on a very limited budget as it is. Governor Otter just cut hundreds of jobs from the parks division. On top of that, it’s been snowing almost non-stop for over a week now, and it’s just not possible for them to clear the roads fast enough. Personally I’ve seen numerous snow plows and sand trucks out on our main streets every single day. You also have to understand that this isn’t Chicago and we just don’t have the budget they do. Another thing to remember is the side streets in sub divisions and neighborhoods are always going to be the last ones to be plowed.
Just a suggestion: If you intend to live here much longer, get a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I immediately traded in my front wheel drive car my first winter here for a 4 wheel drive SUV. If you can’t afford the fuel for an suv, there are plenty of other vehicles that offer 4 wheel drive. It’s next to impossible to get around in this neck of the woods without it.
good luck.
A front wheel drive car is just fine for getting around this city in the wintertime. You just have to know how to drive it.
I’ve only put my truck in 4-Hi once this year, and that was out at Mountain River Ranch this past weekend.
People that only know how to drive a 4×4 vehicle cause more harm than good out on the roads this time of year. Four wheel motion doesn’t help you stop.
Now that was a typical “marcus” response. I guess that was why I had to help pull out a half a dozen front wheel drive cars last year stuck in the snow. “they just didn’t know how to drive”. It’s all clear to me now.
Well, it’s true. Not going to dress it up for you.
I saw numerous stuck people today who only got stuck because they were idiots who instead of following the tracks already laid out on the road by other cars decided to cut corners through parts not yet driven in. So of course they got stuck. I managed to not get stuck nor even come close to getting stuck by using simple common sense – if it looks deep it probably is and I should pick the already driven in spot.
I was out this morning, and a lot of people in this town drive like idiots. They tailgate and keep passing and changing lanes and then when they start fishtailing, you wonder how many “sane” drivers they are going to take out with them. The only time I have trouble getting around in a front wheel drive is when I get high centered on the snow. People driving in a 4-wheel drive vehicle seem to think they are immune to snow problems. They need to learn that it is still going to take the same distance to stop. Maybe some of those that are always getting stuck need to stay home if they can’t drive in snow.
Personally, I am kind of impressed with the snow removal efforts considering that they are only working with about half enough people.
I see a lot of 4×4 trucks and SUVs spinning their wheels and sliding out of control because they don’t appear to be IN four wheel drive at the time. A guy just did a 360 in front of my house going around the corner because of this. Unless you have full time four wheel drive you have to actually participate in the process and SHIFT the thing or push a button. The vehicle won’t think for you. A light pickup driving with only the rear wheels is useless on snow and ice.
The police had the local media telling folks to “STAY HOME, & STAY OFF THE ROADS!” all evening, tonight. Obviously not many people listened cause the roads were packed, and my car was one of the crowd. Oh, well.
Seventeen years in Idaho Falls, a car that I’ve just had a few years and it’s all wheel drive, I’ve never been stuck in an S. E. Idaho winter snow until tonight. /imagine{angry me}. I had Christmas shopping to do. That is a good reason to go out on dangerous roads, right? Besides that, I’m a very good driver. Just ask me.
Yup! Got high centered when trying to back out of my drive way. Crap! So I called up my favorite auto body place. The owner sent his son down to pull my car out, had him clear my entire driveway (I hadn’t cleared it that well, but I’d tried), had him shovel my stairs and even though, when on the phone he’s said he was going to give me a $20.00 discount on the phone (charging me $45.00, instead of $65.00 for service) when I attempted to pay them, he chuckled with a smile and said “You keep that and have yourself a Merry Christmas.”
Give your business to Sunkiss Autobody and towing. You’ll never be treated better.
Pain in the neck when that happens. Gotta shovel a part of your street sometimes, or kick quite a bit of speed in to get over the snow!
Anyway, they’ll be plowing my streets today. I’m pretty excited about that – sick of people getting stuck in the gutter and gunning it…they don’t realize that a constant spin will just dig them in deeper. I think this is the worst I’ve seen my neighborhood streets since I moved to Lake Ave. in 2005.
So at this point, has anyone *not* been plowed in their neighborhood yet?
It was sort of eerie – I started reading this thread from the beginning without looking at the date and it reads remarkably similar to this year! Eerie…
I think the city is doing a great job of trying to keep the roads clean. My husband and two brother in laws work for the city and they have been pulling 12 hour shifts everyday, including Christmas to try and keep the roads clear. The city is pulling men from all departments of the city, water, sanitation, parks and street to try and accomplish this. great Job guys
Me too, I think our City and County are doing a better than just good job. They are doing spectacular!
Considering our population, land mass, and available tax dollars, one heck of a lot of snow has been cleared in a short amount of time.
Thanks, folks. Yer good people!
They’re doing better this year than last, that’s for sure.
I’d like to thank the city of Ammon for plowing a solid two foot thick ice wall into everyone’s driveway in the middle of the night. How else would we get our much needed exercise if not for the marathon ice chopping and hauling sessions we have to go through to clear our driveways?
Thank goodness we have something to complain about!
Heck, while other folks are worrying about how to feed their families and heat their homes, it feels darn good to mouth off at the Ammon street crew for having the audacity to have shoved snow against your drive way while clearing the streets to make them safer for all drivers. Darn them! Crap!
Get up 15 minutes earlier. That’s all that it will take you and your snow shovel to clear the snow away from the end of your drive way. Crap!
Some folks just like to complain.
Honestly…WendyJo….lmao
We’re in a terrible recession, Lost, and some smart guy in Russia says the U.S.A. is gonna go kapoot in 2010, like completely fail. It’s time we all got honest with ourselves and each other and quit blaming the government. It’s time to start pulling our own weight, and shoveling our own darn snow. Damnit!
I concur WendyJo!
Along with pulling our own weight with the snow issue, we need to start pulling our own weight regarding financial stability and start holding ourselves accountable for our own lack of financial responsibility. Stop expecting a “bail-out, hand-out or any other financial help” because we failed to be responsible with our finances, credit cards, over extending ones self with car payments, house payments, etc.. If more people would live within their means we wouldn’t be in this “financial crisis”, “recession” or whatever else you want to call it.
Have a great New year everyone and do youself a favor and make a resolution to cut up those credit cards. Keep one with no more than a 5000 dollar limit for emergencies ONLY. Your debit card should be the only thing you need to survive in this world. If you don’t have the money to make a purchase, don’t make said purchase! It’s not rocket science!
I admit up front…I’m not certain whether i”m disagreeing because I really disagree, or if I’m disagreeing simply to be a pain in the hiney.
That said, and with all due respect, I do have to disagree that those complaining about being blocked into their driveways are just pansies or whining for the sake of whining. There are any number of reasons to complain about that – I remember one winter where I wished they would just not plow my street rather than block me in because of the same issue. Chopping ice, driveway dependent, might not take only 15 minutes.
Moreover, while many of us enjoy the health to spend hours chipping away at ice, if we so choose, many, and many in Ammon in particular, do not. A physical disability or just plain enough age makes a physical barrier like that almost insurmountable – and that is certainly the case if said person doesn’t have a neighbor, friend, or relative to call on for assistance.
Then, of course, there is the additional issue if the person just hopes they can plow through such a barrier with their vehicle. Not the brightest move in the world, it’s true, but some vehicles think they can do anything.
That makes the whole thing much more than a 15 minute digging session. Not a thing one can blame entirely on the city, but certainly one that wouldn’t have been a problem without the city’s help.
Of course, this is assuming that one knew there was a blockade to begin with. One can, after all, only wake up 15 minutes early to dig oneself out of a barricade if one is aware of its existence – not everyone watches TV or gets the paper. Not knowing about such an issue in one’s driveway could cause some fairly reasonable ire, I’d think.
Don’t get me wrong, however, I am in complete agreement that people need to pull their own weight, and heck, I’ll toss in that we need a greater sense of community, but just because someone has a complaint about something doesn’t mean they aren’t appreciative of other things…it really just means they have a pet peeve, and I have a funny feeling that everyone who posted kudos to wendyjo, including wendyjo, has those.
Like, people who complain about things, for example
…Or argue to be a pain in the hiney… :s
Having grown up in the country then migrated to the city once I was of age (actually many cities since becoming a legal adult), I’ve become familiar with…people.
People and their customs, people and their habits, people and their idiosyncrasies, people and their expectations of themselves and others. People expect a lot of themselves but not nearly as much as they expect from others.
When it comes to S.E. Idaho, Idaho Falls winters, it typically snows, snows, snows. We have city and county road crews to handle the snow, and by golly if all that snow isn’t removed in a New York minute! Idaho Falls City folks will be snorting out their nostrils, while the country folk plow their own driving spaces.
Different strokes for different folks.
If the news man says the night before it’s gonna blow up a blizzard of a snow storm then, you’d better be prepared. Don’t be surprised when the end of your drive way is congested with icy snow. Even though you weren’t paying attention to the weather, your city and county workers were. That’s what they get your tax money for; to pay attention when you don’t and WORK.
It’s not rocket science.
Some of you make it sound so simple. You think everyone should stop complaining, smell the roses, and shovel their own snow. I do shovel my own snow. Every time it snows. I also shovel the sidewalk for the widow who lives next door to me. And I drive over to my mother’s house and shovel her snow too. I have a 4-wheel drive vehicle so getting around isn’t usually a problem for me.
The fact is, every time the city has plowed my neighborhood in the past few years, my driveway has been left in worse shape than it was before the crew did their work. It’s usually a lot more than a 15 minute fix and I am in good shape with good shovels. The snow that has been pushed and piled with a front-end loader is much more dense than snow that falls from the sky. It doesn’t move as easily.
Also over the last few years I have made sure that the street was cleared in front of my house to allow curbside parking for my visitors. But the past several times that the city came to plow the street, for some unknown reason they pushed all of the snow from two of my neighbors’ homes over in front of my home! So now my neighbors who have not been as good about cleaning up their snow have curbside parking and I don’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the work the city crews do. But there is a lot they can do better. Fortunately I am healthy enough to take care of myself but not everyone is so lucky. They can do a better job. That’s what we pay taxes for.
I think this is a losing argument no matter how you look at it. And no matter what the city does or doesnt do, people are not going to be happy. People are going to complain if the city doesnt plow the street and they will complain if they do. Everybody that lives here should know that it snows, and if people dont like the snow and dont like to shovel it, then MOVE. It is just one of the responsibilities of owning or renting a home. I hear that if you live in an apartment complex, they generally have a maintenance man that will plow the driveway.
the cities (Ammon and I.F) are doing there job by keeping the roads clear, that is their job. It is not their job, nor is it the tax payers responsibility to pay for city workers to shovel out drive ways.
Nor is it their job to block access to driveways which the owner has kept cleared. I don’t expect the city to shovel out my driveway but I also expect it to be at least as clear as it was before they came to “help.”
I hear what you are saying Powder, that we should expect snow here and be ready to deal with it. However I do think that if a city blocks a driveway that had been cleared out before, then it is their job to remove the blockage.
And telling someone that if they don’t like it then MOVE doesn’t solve anything.
Well snowman, how do you expect they go about clearing out all the driveways they have unintentionally plowed snow against. If they plow the street and lift the plow just before the driveway and drop it right after, that should fix it, but i guarantee that the same people will complain that the street wasnt plowed in front of their housem but it was everywhere else. Come on people, be practical. there is only so much the city can do. and to ask that the city leave the driveways just as clear as the owner had it the night before is unresonalble. Do you curse God for dropping the snow and then not cleaning it as you had it the night before. I find it really hard to believe that some people would rather have snow free driveway than safer streets. how selfish is that?
Waaaaaaa!!! Waaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaa!!!
Let’s all whine a little more!! Or how about this….MOVE if you don’t like the snow or the snow removal process the city provides. Get over it!
There is another aspect to this that may be being forgotten…the end of one’s driveway is *not* one’s property in most cases. Nor is the sidewalk. Both of these are public property, as such, logically, if the city is going to extend some effort, they should extend just a little bit more on this issue.
In Idaho Falls, by the ballpark, you’re not allowed to block someone’s driveway with your car (or anything else, for that matter), nor are you allowed to use the sidewalk portion of your driveway for parking…why would the city be exempt from the same ideas?
And thankfully, in Idaho Falls, it’s not. The city takes the time to blow the roads and follow up with a quick digging-out of driveways. Beyond that, it’s our responsibility to dig ourselves the rest of the way out.
I somehow doubt that it’s really too much to ask the city of Ammon to *not* barricade their residents’ driveways. That’s my final, and honest as it turns out, opinion on the topic. Ya can’t do a job halfway, even if you’re a city, and expect people to be hunky-dory with it.
snow and cars are completly different. Comparing the cities efforts to keep the road clean and safer for drivers in the community and someone parking on a sidewalk or in front a driveway because they are too lazy to walk the extra block to the ballpark, is like comparing apples to oranges.
I totally agree with Snowball and Powder’s responses.
The people in this community expect what they want, when they want it. I’m sure that plowing used to be nice gesture that wasn’t demanded, but appreciated. Then people started to expect the gesture.
In what law book, does it state that each city will be expected to plow the roads immediatly upon falling snow. Yeah, that’s right…no where. We just need to realize that we can’t please everybody. There is always going to be that handful of people that feel they are God’s gift to mankind and it is everybody’s job to please them and wait on the hand and foot. And no matter how hard we all try, they will always find something to complain about.
I bet the children of these people grow up needing therapy. They are convinced that nothing they ever did was good enough for thier parents, and despite repeated attempts to please them…..they failed. Imagine that.
Plow on, Plow men!!!
Isn’t it true that you’re required to shovel the sidewalk in front of your house? (I don’t know for sure as this is only my 3rd winter here) That’s what I’ve heard on the news from the officer that comes on the news and does “Laws of the Land”. But maybe that’s just Pocatello.
You’re supposed to, but I’ve never been cited for not shoveling (when I don’t shovel).
As I stated before, IF keeps the end of my driveway clear, without leaving snow in the road in front of it. Ammon is getting the shaft…probably why I don’t live out there.
I’m not sure that what I was trying to say was made clear.
What I make clear, is that yes, plowing the roadways is a nice gesture from the city that is now taken for granted. Yes, I know that the city workers are compensated for their time, but I’m sure if the city didn’t have to pay for the plows and for the employees time, then the taxpayers money would be put to use somewhere else. And maybe that’s what these cities should be doing. Just give up the winter clean up program all together and let people drive on unkept roads.
Oh, but they need to make sure that people who are snowblowing or shoveling out their driveways don’t put the snow in the street, because it will no longer be the cities responsibility to keep the roads driveable.
It’s illegal to put the snow on the street, and dangerous to leave roads unplowed. What, exactly, would be a better use of the already small amount that the city of Idaho Falls budgets for snow cleanup?
It is also illegal to speed and to litter, but people do it anyway.
The point was that people complain about the clean up and the fact that they have to shovel out their driveways. But it seems that they would be happier with the alternative…no plowing at all. then they wouldn’t have to re-shovel their driveway. I know that un-plowed roads are dangerous, but some people don’t seem to care, they are more worried about their driveway than the community.
So,(hypothetically, of course) if just to pacify the complainers, we didn’t plow for just one season, the chronic complainers wouldn’t have snow to whine about, and the money saved (regardeless of how much it is) could be used somewhere else. (I don’t know where, Marcus, but I’m sure if you ask the snowy whiners, they could probably tell you)
Personally I would be just as happy if they didn’t plow at all. I can get where I need to go. But in fact I do support plowing city roads because contrary to Amy’s assumption, I do care more about the community than my own driveway.
Why should I cheerfully accept the fact that my street and driveway were more accessible before the city crew comes to plow than they are afterward? Did I mention that I have 3 driveways to take care of? Do you know how hard it is to move that snow? The plow crews aren’t doing me any favors.
Using the same logic as others have here, if you don’t have a vehicle that can drive around during our snowy winters then MOVE! (That’s sarcasm folks)
So just to be clear Amy, am I a complainer, a chronic complainer, or a snowy whiner?
I think that maybe, just *maybe* those who aren’t happy with shoveling their driveways are whiners are jumping to a few unnecessary conclusions about the characters of said persons…
None of the “snowy-whiners” have complained about anything more than ice-blocks they have to chip away at (for more than 15 minutes, in at least one case, and given my own experiences this season so far, I believe it!) and have in fact more often than not given kudos to snow plows…
It would not be in the community’s interests financially to not plow the roads, hands down. Accidents cost money to more than just those involved, after all, especially if a driver is uninsured.
All I know *I’ve* been trying to say is that if someone is going to do a job (whether that’s a person, or a city), they ought to do it right.
it’s not always reasonable to ask people to dig themselves out of a mess someone else put there, regardless of what other “good” has been done. The city put that block of ice there, not nature and not the individual, and therefore, the city should remove it before they consider themselves done.
Heck, people are going to have a hard enough time getting into and out of their driveways anyway (I spent 30 minutes digging my own car out of my driveway, and that was just because of what nature had handed us, not any city. I thankfully live in IF), why add insult to injury?
I suppose what I’m saying is this: Try not to take the pet peeve of this thread out of proportion…we appreciate a lot of what the city has done and continues to do. We just also recognize it’s not a perfect system and are not going to say we don’t mind digging more than nature intended just because a city is “trying”.
My mom never accepted that as a response from me, I’m not interested in accepting it from my government (I will, however, be more reasonable about it than my mom was…).
As to what the money would otherwise be used for? Probably not what we need it to be used for
Isn’t all this snow great!?! S I G H
All this snow means the escape of another year of drought, and jobs for many people that need them. All that means good, gooder and GREAT! for all of us.
,/p>Happy, Happy, Happy!
Now *that*, Ms. Wendyjo, we are definitely in agreement on!
(although admittedly, it doesn’t actually do much good with regards to the aquifer down here in little ‘ol IF, or Ammon, for that matter…)
I’m thrilled to be able to say that I live in Idaho and when people outside of the state lament the snow, I don’t have to feel guilty…because we’ve actually gotten some for the last couple of years!
I love all the snow and actually enjoy shoveling most of the time. What I do NOT enjoy is having to chop through the massive walls caused by poor plowing practices. Most cities plow to the center of the street for just this reason. Ammon’s plowing methods (like everything else Ammon does) are half-assed at best. You never know when or even if your street will be plowed. This last time it was during the night (2 AM) after a brief heat wave melted the snow into slush. This was then plowed into everyone’s driveways as the temperature was dropping. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the results of this the next day. The streets didn’t need plowing at this point but they decided to anyway. It took six hours of chopping away at this mess to clear the driveway and the street in front of the house (in case you didn’t know it the Post Office will not make any effort to deliver your mail if they can’t reach your box from their vehicles). And I’m in pretty good shape. I have elderly neighbors who can’t possibly do that much manual labor and were stranded until the rest of us dug them out also. I have a large 4 wheel drive vehicle but I had to clear a path even to get it out of the driveway.
As Joon stated above – if you’re going to do a job then do it right. Otherwise stay the hell out of my way and let me do it myself. Are you listening AMMON? I doubt it.
So if you are that unhappy with the snow in your driveway why don’t you shovel all the snow from in front of your house to the front lawn. Then when they do plow the street there will be no snow to pile up in front of your driveway. That sure sounds like a heck of a lot more work.
Sorry people but my husband works for the street and for the last 6 days I have barely seen him. He has worked 12 hour days without a day off. They work hard to keep our roads clear and to help prevent people from getting into accidents. Be grateful quit complaining.
Be grateful? It’s a service being provided out of the goodness of the city’s heart? They’re not charging for their shoddy work?
I’m not saying that you husband sucks at his job or anything, just that it’s not something to be grateful for…we’re all paying for it. And your husband is making bank on those 12 hour days…do you really want him to be around more than 12 hours a day anyway?
well well well, that was a personal attack marcus!
“do you really want him to be around more than 12 hours a day anyway?”
It’s a discussion, and i dont think t was commenting on your life. Whether i agree or not that the snow removal workers are doing a good job, i just dont understand where you get off as the instigator of personal attacks and comments that are none of your business.
Crystal, stop being so melodramatic. Why don’t you try adding something to the topic other than criticizing somebody elses comment? Or is that too much to ask?
LOL? Personal attack? Comedy, honey. Learn to recognize it.
finding humor in what you say marcus would be like having roaches in my home and being happy about it
You live in Idaho, that’s not likely to happen.
Oh, and I didn’t ask you to find humor in what I said. I asked you to learn to recognize comedy. Finding humor in what somebody says indicates that you enjoy it, whereas recognizing comedy just requires a bit of otherwise unused brain power.
they probably have a nest or two of hobos they don’t know about. Nothin wrong with a spider or two though, according to one poster, only a certain percentage of them are actually poisonous.
i can recognise comedy, so id suggest you never do stand up!