Minnesotans race against the clock to finish fall work before winter storm
A street sweeper clears a Richfield, Minn. road before a November snowstorm. (FOX 9)
RICHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - With snow in the forecast, Minnesotans are all handling the calm before the storm differently.
In the Richfield Public Works garage, it was quiet Monday, but those there knew that the energy level would be higher come Tuesday night.
“Tomorrow, it’ll be things moving all over the place,” said Chris Link, of Richfield Public Works.
So far, two of the city’s trucks are loaded with salt and their plow blades are mounted. The spreaders on each machine are calibrated to put down an exact amount.
The only thing that is planned for Tuesday is to get the rest of the fleet ready.
“Tomorrow, final prep on all our plows. Our big trucks are mostly ready to go, make sure the loaders are ready to go. Then, it’s pickups and smaller skid steers and things like that,” Link added.
Like the rest of Minnesotans, for public works departments, it’s a race against the clock to get all the fall work done.
In many communities, all the leaves still need to be removed from streets and parks before time runs out.
Construction crews race to finish a playground before a snowstorm expected to begin Tuesday night. (FOX 9)
“Today is crunch time,” said Kevin Holst, of Clear Street Construction.
At Jefferson Park in Richfield, Holst's contracting crew is also trying to beat the clock to finish installing a playground. It’s all hands on deck because concrete and wood chips go in Tuesday at this particular site. Wednesday is no longer an option.
Meanwhile, many residents are wary of the challenges the upcoming weather will bring to holiday travelers.