Kalispell clarifies snowplowing procedures

The Kalispell Public Works Department issued a reminder Wednesday of its updated snow removal policy, correcting an announcement Tuesday from the Kalispell Police Department.

In 2003 the city ended its policy that required residents to park on even-numbered and odd-numbered sides of the street on alternating days to make way for snowplows. The policy was not working well, the department explained.

Current policy sets up a system that prioritizes roads for snow plowing:

n Emergency routes and other “arterial” or primary-travel roads such as Meridian Road, First Avenues east and west and routes to the hospital are plowed first. Plowing there begins as soon as snowfall warrants, at any time of the day or night and on any day of the week. Main Street and Idaho Street are plowed by the Montana Department of Transportation.

n Second-priority roads are the “collector” roads, such as Center Street or Fifth Avenue West — roads that carry heavy traffic within the core of Kalispell. Those get plowed as soon as the first-priority routes are cleared.

n Other residential streets — subdivisions and neighborhood streets outside Kalispell’s core area — are the third priority. Barring unforeseen conditions, those will be plowed within 48 hours of snowfall of three inches or more. Less than three inches won’t be plowed from residential streets unless drifting occurs.

In addition, the ordinance specifies which days avenues and streets will be plowed:

n Avenues are cleared on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

n Streets are cleared on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Parked vehicles need to be moved accordingly.

Because of liability issues and the sheer volume of potential requests, city snowplows are strictly forbidden to clear snow or ice from private property.

Other information from the police department announced on Tuesday remains in effect:

Parking is prohibited in city-owned off-street parking areas between 2 and 6 a.m. The same applies to the central business district.

Residents must clear snow, ice and slush from sidewalks in front of and adjoining their premises to make it safe and convenient for people walking by.

But that snow may not be pushed from private property onto city sidewalks or streets.

The complete text of the policy can be found on the city’s Web site at http://www.kalispell.com/publicworks/snow.cfm