Road Warriors!

City of Decorah Street Department employee John Holm in his snowplow

Those winter days when you want to just stay inside and read a book or watch a movie are the same days the Street Department workers from the City of Decorah are going to work.

Street Superintendent Dave Tollefson says a snowstorm like Wednesday's means four or five snowplows go out in an effort to keep Decorah's streets drivable.  Crews get called out anywhere from just a few times to 20 times in a winter, which makes it hard to budget for the overtime cost.

After watching The Weather Channel, looking at radar and getting input from Decorah Police officers, Tollefson determines when the plows are needed.  Sometimes crews head out at 2:00 a.m., other times at 4:00 a.m., sometimes at a more reasonable 6:00 a.m.--like Wednesday.  Tollefson says the secret is to try to get out ahead of the storm: "The more you can get out before traffic, the better."

Street Department employee John Holm drives one of the city's newest snowplows.  He says the biggest challenges come on days when visibility is poor.  He says he has even had to hang his head out the truck window occasionally to get a better idea of where he was at.

On a day like Wednesday, when Decorah Schools cancelled classes, he was appreciating the lighter traffic and the decent visibility.  That meant not having to worry much about downed tree branches or power lines.  It allowed him to travel 25-30 miles an hour--the best speed for preventing snowplow bouncing.

Driving a snowplow requires complete attention, Holm says, because of the weather and all the potential hazards.  Still, he confesses, "It's kinda fun."  "You're doing something good for people," he notes, which is why all the members of the Decorah City Street Department head out into snowstorms while the rest of the world is staying inside.. 

The City of Decorah and Winneshiek County swap snowplowing responsibilities for some local roads, which explains why a city plow takes care of Ice Cave Road

Parked cars are always a concern, especially student-owned cars parked near the Luther College campus. But this Wednesday morning Fifth Avenue was free of parked cars