The City of Fernie is launching a pilot project to test proposed changes to the way we manage snow and ice.

The pilot project, and coinciding community engagement, will be used to assist the development of a new Snow and Ice Control Policy for the 2020/2021 winter season.

The operational pilot will run from February 18-April 15, and will result in a shift in the way aspects of the service are provided.

Here are the details from the City of Fernie:

Overview
The City of Fernie is reviewing how we manage snow and ice in order to create an effective new Snow and Ice Control Policy for the 2020/2021 winter season. Through the initial review process, we have determined that the way we currently deliver this service is not sustainable, and that significant changes need to be made. Before writing a new policy, we are running a pilot project to test and refine proposed operational changes. A public engagement campaign will also be held to coincide with the pilot, and the subsequent pilot review period, to gather community feedback to help guide the development of the new policy.

Background
Currently, the City of Fernie provides snow and ice services to 65 km’s of roads, including on-street parking lanes, 3km’s of alley ways, 10 km’s of sidewalk, 40 public facilities, 5 off-street public parking lots, 9km’s of pathway, and approximately 130 driveway windrows for eligible homeowners who are signed up to our windrow program.

A full-plow response is triggered by 5cm accumulation of snow and entails nearly our entire operations crew beginning work at 4am. This typically includes 18 staff and 15 fleet and equipment across public works, parks and facilities, and bylaw enforcement, plus contracted services for hauling snow and grooming pathways.

Why are we reviewing the way we manage snow and ice?
Our existing policy and procedures are over 20 years old and lack the clear direction necessary to consistently and equitably deliver this service to the community. Over the past decades our snow and ice management practices have expanded in scope to a level that is putting a significant strain on resources, and staff have identified the following key omissions and reliances:

– It does not incorporate different modes of transportation, and instead focuses prioritization solely on roads without taking sidewalks, and other commuter routes into account.

– There is no clear prioritization of routes based on use, but instead areas are plowed sequentially within the five designated Operator Areas. This lack of prioritization means that City facilities and critical infrastructure are left until later in the process.

– Our current practices rely heavily on voluntary overtime to get work done. On a full-plow day eleven City employees are required to work a minimum of three overtime hours to deliver the expected service. This is not only expensive, but also means that the City cannot guarantee having the required staff in place to consistently deliver the service.

– Reliance on overtime also has health and safety implications, with increased instances of sick time used and an uptick in safety incidents, including ICBC claims.

– The extensive manpower required to mobilize the existing full-plow response takes staff away from important maintenance work in other service areas. This has an impact in the winter, but also results in deferred maintenance in other seasons when employees use their banked time. This means pothole repairs, street sweeping, water main flushing, park maintenance works, and other important services often end up taking a backseat to snow removal.

What are we proposing?
Staff are creating a new policy with the goal of clearly defining how we manage snow and ice. Having a clear policy allows staff to effectively allocate resources and communicate with the community.

In October 2019, Council gave staff the approval to move ahead with creating a policy based on a new approach to prioritizing snow and ice management services that establishes five priority areas taking into consideration use, increasing pedestrian network elements, and service sustainability.

The prioritization framework begins by prioritizing safety, access to key infrastructure, and business continuity. Prioritizing uses will allow the City to focus limited resources more effectively, and work to limit required overtime to P1 and P2 areas. Limiting the use of overtime will have many positive effects that range from monetary, to safety, to the ability to focus on other crucial maintenance both during the winter, and other seasons.

As the changes to how we deliver this complex service area are significant, the project team is launching a pilot project to allow for public participation in the proposed policy changes. This pilot project will also allow the Operations department to test and refine snow and ice control procedures iteratively, and to determine possible impacts to financial budgeting, personnel resource capacity, and equipment resource capacity prior to final adoption of a new policy. The pilot project is to be implemented from February 4th, 2020 to October 15th, 2020 and will include the following project phases:

Phase 1: Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagement February 4 to August 31

Phase 2: Operational Practices Pilot February 18 to April 15

Phase 3: Review, Assess and Summarize May 1 to August 31

Phase 4: New Policy Adoption September 1 to October 15

The timeline above provisions for adoption of the new policy in early Fall of 2020, in time for implementation for the 2020-21 winter season.

Key Changes
As the City begins to pilot the proposed changes to snow and ice management there will be some immediately noticeable changes to residents and businesses in Fernie.

Local Residential Areas – Residents can expect to see a change in how their neighbourhood is maintained. Under the prioritization framework, all residential areas are prioritized the same and opening roads for safe passage will be done before parking lanes are cleared. This will result in an increased equity in how this service is delivered, and will mean an increase for some residents and a decrease for others. All residents will see their neighbourhood on-street parking not cleared until the second day after a snowfall. This will also result in windrow removal being delayed to day two service.

Pedestrian Routes (Sidewalks/Commuter Pathway) – The community can expect to see a higher level of service and prioritization for all designated sidewalk routes, as well as additional sidewalk routes added, and sidewalk route diversions to increase safety by direct pedestrians to signalized crossings. There will also be additional service to commuter pathways like the Fairy Creek Pathway Extension.

Downtown – There will be no reduction in services in the downtown area. The only change downtown will be an increased service priority for the downtown public washroom.

Businesses Outside Downtown – These businesses can expect to see an increased priority of business areas over residential areas. They can also expect to see a shift in the practice of centre plowing, with the practice no longer being used outside the downtown business area. Parking in these areas will also be delayed to the second day after a snowfall.

City operations – The changes will see critical operational facilities (eg. water and waste water) increase in their level of prioritization, and will also see fire hydrants cleared sooner.

How can I provide input?
Community members will have an opportunity to provide input throughout the project period. Including:

– Attending a public open house scheduled for the evening of Tuesday February 25. This will be an opportunity to learn more about current practices, and proposed changes. Staff will be on hand to answer questions, and gather feedback that will be considered in the development of a community survey

– A dedicated project email address snow@fernie.ca has been set up and will be monitored throughout the project for the community and stakeholder groups to provide ongoing feedback. Feedback will be reviewed, summarized and considered during phase 3 of this project. If you have an urgent request please submit it using our Request for Service.

– The general public will have an opportunity to fill out a community survey on this topic. The survey will be open to the public for a period of one month, starting in mid April. Input will be compiled, reported back to the community, and will be considered in phase 3 of this project.

Reference Material
2020-02-03 RFD Snow and Ice Pilot

Appendix A – Snow and Ice Control Prioritization Approach

Appendix B – Policy Objectives and Service Definitions

Appendix C – Snow and Ice Control Route Prioritization Maps

Appendix D – October 2019 COTW Staff Report and Supporting Documents