If it seems like the village has received more than it's usual share of snow this year, it's not just your imagination. Last winter's snowfall set a record for Bolingbrook, and the skies already have dumped more than half of that on the village so far this season.
But for those who sense the village has been skimping on its snow removal, local officials say it isn't true.
Unlike other cities that have cut back on salt or snow plowing due to economic constraints, Bolingbrook is putting the same effort into snow removal that it has for years, said Michael Drey, director of public works.
"We haven't changed anything," he said. "Has the snow fall changed? Yes."
The 52 inches of snow that fell last winter was a record high. More than 30 inches have fallen so far this winter.
Some Bolingbrook residents say snow plows haven't been keeping up:
"We've lived here since 1999 and the village did a great job, until last year," said one reader who submitted an e-mail comment last week to my blog. "I realize that we've had a lot of snow, and side streets come after main streets. However, it is obvious there's some scrimping going on."
This reader said he recently drove through Naperville and Downers Grove where streets were plowed and salted.
"I got to my sidestreet (Rebecca Lane) and it was like going back in time 12 hours," he wrote.
Drey said the village uses a prioritized method of plowing the streets, focusing on the main roadways first.
Crews start by cleaning main arteries, like Boughton, Briarcliff, Weber, Schmidt and Rockhurst roads, along with Rt. 53, Remington Boulevard, Veterans Parkway and Lily Cache Lane. Next come secondary streets, including Apple Valley Road, Augusta Boulevard, Palmer Drive, Orchard Drive, Cumberland Lane, Lee Lane, Northridge Avenue and Old Chicago Drive, to name a few.
Finally, they tackle the side streets. With each snowfall, crews reverse the order in which they plow the smaller streets, so if one area was first with the previous snow fall, it will be last the next time.
In areas that aren't plowed until later, the snow sometimes is packed by the time village crews are able to work on those streets, Drey said.
The entire village usually can be plowed in about 12 to 13 hours after the snow stops, he said.
Residents can call the village Snow Command phone number at (630) 226-8820 if they have any concerns about snow removal. Residents use the line to report mailboxes hit by plows, streets that haven't been plowed, and other snow-related concerns.
If crews are out on the streets, a receptionist will take the messages and report them to public works crews.
While salt prices have risen in recent years, Drey said the village has actually increased its supply to account for the growing amount of snow. Workers apply salt to all of the streets, but try to use it sparingly on the side streets because of the environmental impact when it melts into area waterways.
The village also mixes a solution of beet juice, calcium chloride and salt brine to coat the streets before the first snowfall. The mixture helps prevent snow and ice from bonding to the road and increases the salt's effectiveness as temperatures drop below 20 degrees, at which point salt will no longer melt the ice.
How do you think the village is doing with snow removal this year? Comment about it on my blog at http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/neal.
Also online, post a comment with your street and I will let you know if your street is considered a main artery, secondary street or side street.
Emily Neal is a 30-something wife and stay-at-home mom in Bolingbrook with three children. She also has a long history as a journalist.
Clearly, the increased snowfall has contributed to the perception that the village isn't keeping up with snow removal.
However, Chicagoland has experienced a record setting stretch of 9 days of measurable snowfall and near record sub-zero temperatures. But try telling that to the global warming alarmists and they'll swear this is just another sign of global warming.