News Release - Mayor Warren Unveils Adopt-A-Hydrant with 2016-17 Snow Removal Plan

City of Rochester

News Release

(Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the City has launched “Adopt-A-Hydrant,” a new tool to empower citizens play an active role in snow removal and clearing operations in their neighborhood or near their business.

“When you walk down the street after a heavy snow and you see hydrants that have been shoveled out and sidewalks that have been cleared, you see a neighborhood whose residents care about their neighborhood and their neighbors,” said Mayor Warren “We want to give every neighborhood in Rochester a chance to tell that story. When people take pride in their neighborhood, it helps us create more jobs, safer streets and better educational opportunities for our citizens.”

Adopt-A-Hydrant, which is based on a similar program underway in the Corn Hill Neighborhood, is the newest addition to the City’s snow removal plan. It uses an interactive online map that gives visitors an opportunity to “adopt” a fire hydrant near their home or business and take responsibility to keep it clear of snow and ice. The interactive map displays all of the City’s fire hydrants and provides users an option to select one for adoption.

Other elements of the City’s snow-removal procedures are in place and ready to go for the 2016-17 winter season.

The City will begin the winter with 8,000 tons of road salt on hand and expects to use as much as 25,000 tons before the end of the winter. The “Clear the Snow so All Can Go” public service campaign will be launched again to encourage residents and merchants to shovel the sidewalks in front of their property and be mindful of the challenges snow and ice present to citizens with physical disabilities.

Another important tool is a web-based interface with the GPS-enabled Automatic Vehicle Locators in City plow trucks called Plow Trax. The interface will provide managers with better information to make real-time adjustments during a plow run. It will also provide customer-service agents in the 311 Call Center with better information to provide citizens who call to find out when their street will be plowed. Plow Trax will also be available to the public on the City website, so citizens can keep up with the progress of plow runs, as well.

The City has also designated 65 Parking Emergency Streets, where on-street parking will be prohibited when a Parking Emergency has been declared. These streets, many of which pre-date the advent of the automobile and are unusually narrow, sometimes require full-scale “load-and-haul” snow-removal operations rather than a traditional plow run. During a Parking Emergency, the snow on these streets will be cleared from curb-to-curb to provide emergency vehicles a clear path down the center of the street when curbside parking is permitted again.

Metal signs are posted along the streets that state: ”No Parking This Block When Winter Parking Emergency Declared.” The signs include the no-parking icon, which is an encircled P with a slash through it.

During Parking Emergencies, free parking will be allowed in the Mortimer Street Parking Garage, and the Regional Transit Service will provide free service between the garage and designated Parking Emergency streets.

Residents along these streets who rely upon on-street parking will be encouraged to make advance plans to find a place to park during Parking Emergencies. Residents can also park on neighboring streets.

The City-County 911 Call Center will notify residents of these streets when a Parking Emergency has been declared. Residents who do not have a landline telephone should be sure to register their mobile phone number with 911.

For more information about the Snow Plan, including links to Adopt a Hydrant and Plow Trax, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/rocsnow/.



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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135.