Public works: ‘you can never be too prepared’

Snow preparations were underway Friday after weather forecasts called for one to three inches of snow across mid-Missouri.

Boone County public works employees had spreaders and plows hooked up to their trucks before 5 p.m. Friday.

“If the satellite shows it’s coming, we call these guys and we get them in here,” said Darren Kimbrel, a BC public works district superintendent. “We get them ready, we go out and stage, and we’re out there prepared.”

Kimbrel said they’ll watch for the snowfall coming in overnight and into tomorrow, and if it starts to accumulate on the ground, the 24-hour supervisor on duty will call in the crews to start taking care of roads.

Barry Dalton with Columbia Public Works said Friday that a seven-person crew will be headed in at 7 a.m. Saturday to start pre-treating roads. Bridge decks have already been treated with a salt and beet juice mixture.

Both public works departments said they had enough salt and salt mixtures to take care of anything that may pop up unexpectedly.

Columbia crews already had trucks filled up with salt ready to go earlier this afternoon and both crews will be prepared to head out this weekend.