Highway Commissioner, THOMAS W. GOOCH

As you read this, another construction season is coming to an end.  We cleaned up many problems this summer, removed a lot of buckthorn from right of ways, patched roads with over a thousand tons of asphalt and installed a lot of storm drain.  Our paving program continued with new roads, despite costs rising out of control for asphalt.  It seems like it’s way too early to be planning snow routes, but that’s next.

 

This may be the last newsletter, that is, before the winter season, anyway.  So, I felt this was the appropriate time to ask for your help in our snow operations:

 

We continue to try to minimize the use of salt and we experiment with other chemicals more friendly to the environment.  If you see a road or live on a road that you feel needs more snow removal, please call right away.

 

If you need to reach us for snow removal issues, you can do it online at www.cubaroads.com; ‘punch’ the ‘winter service’ button- we monitor it during storms.  You can call the office at (847)381-1924 or the garage at (847)381- 7793.  I’m always reachable at home at (847)382-1224 or on my cell at (847)508-1201 and (847) 951-7575. We want to keep you safe and make winter driving in Cuba Township easy!

 

Please don’t follow the plows closely.  They are dropping both salt and liquid chemicals and sometimes stop quickly. Snow flying off the plow blade can affect your ability to see and, of course, the driver can’t see you behind the truck if you are too close.

 

We plow the main roads first.  In the event of a major storm, please be patient.  We maintain

continuous operations until the storm is over and all roads are open.  We will get to your

subdivision roads as quickly as possible.

 

Please do not place rocks or other barriers on the gravel shoulders; we need to be able to push large snowfalls clear of the shoulder in order to make room for further snow fall on major roads.  Large rocks in the shoulder area or on the edge of the road surface can’t always be seen and can cause

damage to a snow plow.

 

We do our best not to tear up the shoulders or remove grass.  Sometimes, late at night and during heavy snow, it is very difficult to see the road edge.  In the event we damage the grassy area, please notify us and we will be by in the spring to restore it properly.  We begin a restoration list during the winter, so an email or call to the office when you notice the damage will result in early spring

restoration.

 

As to mailboxes– a  supply of mailboxes and temporary posts is on hand for immediate installation.   If your mailbox is damaged, please call us right away.  Generally, we can get a temporary mailbox up the same day.  Few mailboxes are actually hit by the snow plow blade or truck.  When they are, nothing is left.  What generally happens is snow flying off the plow blade hits the mailbox and damages the box or post.  Sometimes, in the cul de sacs we do come in contact with the box.  We try to minimize it, but it does happen.........we’ll fix it as soon as possible!

 

Sometimes, folks call and say the trucks are going too fast.  Often, speed of a truck is difficult to judge by observing it.  We operate in 3rd gear when plowing, that results in a top speed of about 25 to 28 mph,

optimum for spreading salt and for plowing.  In that gear, the rpm’s are high and the truck is making noise commensurate with what you might think is a higher speed.  Please be assured the last thing we do is speed on slippery roads.

 

          Keep the faith, winter won’t last too long and hopefully won’t be too harsh.