BOYLE – The Village of Boyle announced last week that Paul Clyburn will take the reins of the public works department as superintendent, just as the village tackles changes to one of its most important policies — snow removal.
Almost every municipality in Canada devotes large amounts of time and resources to make sure their streets and sidewalks are clear in the winter, and Boyle is no different. It’s an important task, and one that every resident seems to have their own very strong opinions about, depending on their own requirements.
“I need somebody that is very coordinated and keeps everybody doing what you're supposed to do. Public works staff are happy about it, and Paul has accepted. So, we're all happy to throw him under the bus,” interim CAO Robert Jorgensen told councillors at their Feb. 3 meeting.
Clyburn is a long-time employee of the town who has proven to be well-versed in many areas. He was considered a public works operator in his previous position, but was also involved in administrative work and is the village’s unofficial IT department.
The task at hand though is snow removal, and finding a consistent path forward through the rest of the winter and winters to come.
Mayor Colin Derko congratulated Clyburn, saying the promotion is well-deserved, and urged him to put aside the negative things people tend to complain about with snow removal.
“You're very organized and definitely a team player so we look forward to working with you to make it better,” he said. “In the reality of it, you guys are doing a bang-up job. We always get the squeaky wheels, but I hear lots of good comments too. It’s just that those ones don't ever seem to be as loud. They don't seem to phone and complain about good things.”
Later in the meeting, Jorgensen brought forward the new draft snow removal policy for council’s review, saying there are a number of changes that will likely result in more phone calls to the village office. One of the changes will see residents’ driveways back-bladed 15 feet.
“We're going to do a 15-foot back-blade, but if there's no driveway. We're not clearing a separate spot in front of a person's house, and we're not in a place for garbage can,” he said. “We just don’t have the staff to do it.”
Coun. Shelby Kiteley said that must specifically be written into the policy so there is no doubt of what the village is responsible for.
“There needs to be some kind of a disclaimer that it is not up to the village, and that we will not be responsible for (clearing a space for) the garbage, I think people expect it, and if it's not in writing, then it becomes a gray area,” she said.
Clyburn noted some of the concerns he has heard over the years. Sometimes he has heard complaints from those who don’t have driveways but expect a space to be cleared because their neighbour, who does have a driveway, had their snow removed. Another one is having a spot for the kids to catch the school bus, and others are worried about seniors falling.
Jorgensen also brought forward another notable change in the draft policy. Once approved, the village will remove snow down to the pavement on primary roads, but secondary roads will have some snow pack. This will help reduce hours, and save wear and tear on equipment.
“It won’t be like the cities, but there will be a snow pack,” he said.
A number of considerations were put forward for councillors to consider and a lengthy discussion followed in an effort to provide equitable service for all residents, which will be tricky as everyone has different priorities and requirements.
Clyburn suggested trying some of the recommendations in the new policy during the next major snow event and that he could bring his observations back to council to aid in their final decision.
Council agreed that would be a good idea, so residents can expect some changes in the coming weeks, that may or may not become permanent features of the village snow removal policy.
