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Snow Removal Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What streets in town are snow emergency routes?
Q: Once the snow emergency route is plowed curb-to-curb can I park back on that street?
Q:
How do I know when I need to remove my car from the streets?
Q: Can I park my vehicle in the boulevard?
Q:
I live on an east – west street. How soon do I need to remove my car from the street?
Q:
When do the north – south streets get plowed?
Q: Does ticketing begin on North – South streets as soon as plowing begins?
Q: When does snow removal in the down town district begin?
Q: When are City owned parking lots cleared of snow?
Q:
When the snowplow went past it threw snow up on the sidewalk. Does the City remove this snow?
Q:
I have a large pile of snow in front of my mailbox and the post office will not deliver the mail. Will the City clear the snow in front of the mailbox?

What streets in town are snow emergency routes?
All snow emergency routes are clearly marked with signs along the route that reminds people that parking is not allowed once 2 inches of snow falls on our community. The list of streets that are signed as emergency snow routes are: First Avenue from Minnesota Street to Foster Street; Fifth Avenue from Sanborn Street to Foster Street; Havens Street from Ohlman Street to Burr Street; Sanborn Street from Havens Street to North Highway 37; Burr Street from Havens Street to Seventh Avenue; and Miller Street from Havens to Ninde.

Once the snow emergency route is plowed curb-to-curb can I park back on that street?
No! The actual ordinance is as follows:

Sec. 23-89 Parking restrictions on emergency snow routes.
When a snowfall of more than two inches occurs, no person shall park or leave parked along the curb parking areas on any of the streets or portions of streets designated as snow emergency routes, any vehicle until such time as the street has been cleared of snow back to the curb line, and snowfall accumulation has ceased.

Please take note of the last portion of the ordinance where it states no parking is allowed until the street has been cleared “AND snowfall accumulation has ceased.”

During a snow event the plowing of the highways and snow emergency routes begin almost immediately sometimes with less than an inch of snow on the ground. However, ticketing and towing along emergency routes begins once it is determined that we have received 2 inches of snow. Ticketing and towing continues until the snow event has ended. The street department plows emergency routes several times during a storm. Storms sometimes spread over two and on rare occasions three days. On those occasions there should be no parking on emergency snow routes for whatever the length of the storm.
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How do I know when I need to remove my car from the streets?
Any time snow begins to fall during the winter, your car should be removed from the emergency snow routes and refrain from parking on these routes until the storm has passed.

Every few hours, throughout a snow event, public service announcements are given to the local radio stations and newspaper. The local radio stations are very quick in responding to these public service announcements. They do an excellent job in informing the public of what is taking place for snow removal activities. These announcements can also be found on the at www.cityofmitchell.org. Just follow the Snow Alerts link.
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Can I park my vehicle in the boulevard?
No, because that area is public right of way and would be considered part of the street.
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I live on an east – west street. How soon do I need to remove my car from the street?
The normal sequence of plowing streets in Mitchell is emergency & priority routes first. If the snow has diminished, the plowing of east – west streets immediately follows the completion of the emergency routes. Ticketing on east – west streets begins when the plowing begins on those streets. Therefore, it is advisable to listen to the radio stations or check the internet for plowing announcements. It is advisable to remove your vehicle from east – west streets as soon as snow begins to fall.
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When do the north – south streets get plowed?
Plowing begins on the north - south streets as soon as the east – west streets have been cleared curb to curb.
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Does ticketing begin on North – South streets as soon as plowing begins?
Ticketing (by ordinance) does not begin on the north - south routes for twelve hours after the completion of plowing of east – west streets. This is to give residence some time to remove the vehicles from the north – south streets. That means the street department will likely return the following day to cleanup areas where cars were parked on the first day. If your vehicle is still on the street after twelve hours has passed since the east – west streets have been cleared, you may receive a ticket. The police department patrols those streets, after 12 hours have passed, and writes tickets to vehicles that have not been moved during that storm and have been plowed around.
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When does snow removal in the down town district begin?
Snow removal in the downtown area, District “A”, occurs as soon as practical after a storm has passed. Signs are placed in the streets at numerous locations in District “A” and public service announcements are made on the radio stations. No parking is allowed on any street in this district after 11:00 p.m. that night. Parking is restricted until after the windrow of snow is completely removed from a given street.
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When are City owned parking lots cleared of snow?
Public parking lots are cleaned as soon as practical after the snow is removed from the downtown District “A” streets. However, snow removal in parking lots and streets in District “A” are NEVER performed on the same night. Signs are placed at entrances into the parking lots that are going to be cleared and announcements made on the radio stations and posted on the “Snow Alerts” page.
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When the snowplow went past it threw snow up on the sidewalk. Does the City remove this snow?
It is the property owner’s responsibility to keep the sidewalks clear of snow & ice. If the property owner does not clear the sidewalk the City may clear the walk and bill the property owner.
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I have a large pile of snow in front of my mailbox and the post office will not deliver the mail. Will the City clear the snow in front of the mailbox?
It is the residence responsibility to keep the snow removed from in front of the mailboxes. With over 4000 residences in Mitchell it is impossible to keep mailboxes clear of snow piles. When snow is plowed from the street, it is pushed to the side. Over time a windrow of snow accumulates in front of mailboxes. If we continue to push the snow over, eventually the mailbox would also be pushed over.
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