KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The past few days of warm weather has pretty much eliminated snow from the town’s roads. But it’s only the first week of February so it’s likely we’ll see quite a bit of snow yet this season. The City of Kodiak budgets for a full six week’s of snow plowing. KMXT’s Maggie Wall has more.
-(((City Snow 5:03 "Many of us…April Laktonen-Councellor. SOC.")))
Many of us think of snow as cold and wet stuff that falls from the sky, but for Mark Kozak, the city Public Works Director, different types of snow means different challenges for the road crews whose job it is to get out in the wee hours of the morning and clear the roads before everyone goes to work:
((Xmas Snow :37 "Each snow is variable…cause all of us problems.")))
OK kids and skiers and snow machiners might love a 20 inch dump. For the rest of us, it’s a lot of work to dig out. For the folks at public works, it makes an already challenging situation even worse.
((Large Snowfalls :44 "When we get…time in between the snows.")))
But there are more layers to this snow clearing operation. Kozak says they try to keep sidewalks clear. Something that’s not easy to do if the snow keeps falling and falling day after day:
((Sidewalks :39 "One of the primary…the next time.")))
And, despite what you may have heard, they really don’t try to plow your vehicle into the berm. In fact, Kozak says for a faster, cleaner spot for your vehicle, move it if you can for those few minutes while they are plowing out front.
((Cleaner Much Faster :13 "Boy that really helps…cleaner much faster."))
While some of us may not be able to wait until mid-April for the snow to stop, Kozak says his department generally budgets to allow for six non-stop weeks of serious winter weather:
(((6 weeks of winter :25 "In the last…should do alright.")))
City Public Works Director Mark Kozak.
And, that saying about Eskimos having a phenomenal number of words for snow-It’s not true. Urban Legend.
Doctor April Laktonen-Counceller is the Alutiiq Language Manager for the Alutiiq Museum:
(((Snow 1:00 "From my understanding…winter conditions."
April Laktonen-Counceller.
I’m Maggie Wall.
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