Ramsey Resident - 2012 - September/October

Home

Public Works Maintenance Activities – Why We Do What We Do ăJTJTUIFđSTUJOBTFSJFTPGBSUJDMFTUIBUBSFJOUFOEFEUPTIFEBMJUUMFMJHIUPOUIFNBOZNBJOUFOBODFUBTLTBTTPDJ ated with keeping Ramsey’s streets, storm water systems (includes road ditches), water and sewer infrastructure, parks, trails, and road right-of-ways (ROW) properly maintained and fully functional at the lowest cost. Most everyone could describe why the city plows snow - but how about vegetation management? Pardon? Vegetation management covers a number of maintenance practices that go unnoticed or perhaps underappreciated. Sure, when a wind storm blows through our fair city, crews are immediately dispatched to clear roads of limbs, trees BOEEFCSJTGPSQVCMJDTBGFUZBOEHFOFSBMUSBOTQPSUBUJPO)PXFWFS 1VCMJD8PSLTTUBĈEFBMTXJUIUSFFTZFBSBSPVOE 1FSIBQTUIFNPTUCBTJDXBZJTNPXJOHUIF308SVSBMTFDUJPOSPBETPODFPSUXJDFQFSZFBSăJTQSFWFOUTUSFFTGSPN HSPXJOHJOUIFEJUDIFTBOE308JOUIFđSTUQMBDF5SFFTUPPDMPTFUPUIFUSBWFMMBOFTPGSPBETQSFWFOUHPPEWJTJCJMJUZ for motorists and thus hinder a driver’s ability to react to deer and other hazards. Of course, clear ditches are also needed for snow storage from plowing events. Tree free ROW’s also allows Public 8PSLTDSFXTUPBDDFTTWBSJPVTBTQFDUTPGUIFDJUZTTUPSNTFXFSTZTUFNGPSNBJOUFOBODFBDUJWJUJFTTQFDJđDUPUIBUJOGSB structure (more to come on this!). Similar to the sightline concern mentioned above, we’re also concerned with the ‘sight triangle’ which is that part of ROW where two streets converge, form- JOHBUSJBOHMFăJTJTQBSUJDVMBSMZJNQPSUBOUGPSJOUFSTFDUJPOTBGFUZ FTQFDJBMMZ for pedestrians and cyclists. (You can help by not planting tall shrubs or trees in these zones.) Tree limbs extending out into the ROW can also cause various problems – and especially when they are weighted down or break during heavy snows. For this reason crews regularly ‘prune up’ trees along streets and sidewalks, allowing motor- ists to safely see, and cyclists and pedestrians to travel the sidewalks unobstructed under a canopy of trees. 5SFFTSFQSFTFOUBTJHOJđDBOUBOEPO going maintenance activity for the depart- ment – but moreover trees are an important part of the quality of life in our community and provide real monetary value to prop- erties and our shared streetscapes. For this reason the city encourages planting ‘the right tree, in the right place’ and also conducts a modest boulevard tree planting program each fall. For more information on the city’s vegetation management program or to ad- dress tree concerns in your neighborhood, feel free to contact Mark Riverblood, Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent at mriverblood@ci.ramsey.mn.us or 763- 433-9853. September/October 2012 • Ramsey Resident 7