Plowing

Post Reply
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by PAL »

Here it is. We got a call from the Methow supervisor for road maintenance. The reason Twisp River Rd. got plowed Monday is because....of a medical emergency. So there you have it. Wasn't because of our call. It did coincide however.
They basically kept the snow on the road as they thought it would be better to do that and let freezing rain fall on the snow. It was a bit of a wild ride. But maybe it prevented it from being like Steven's Pass on the west side. Solid thick glare ice. It really looked like it could have been skated on. Last I checked it was still closed.
Pearl Cherrington
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by PAL »

Yes, I had heard of that idea too.
Pearl Cherrington
User avatar
mister_coffee
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Winthrop, WA
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by mister_coffee »

PAL wrote: Tue Dec 27, 2022 10:10 am And the dream of Methow County but has to go through the legislature and no one is willing to pick up that fight...
There are some alternatives.

We could hypothetically incorporate the entire upper Methow Valley as a town and then we'd get to keep most (more like nearly all) of the property tax and other revenues generated here. This would also give us local control over zoning and land use. Of course it would elementally enrage the people on the other side of the Loup, but whether that is a bug or a feature is kind of up to you...
:arrow: David Bonn :idea:
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by PAL »

Very good points David. I hope that attitude will change. Take a full page ad and put it in the Chroncle listing the taxes and the benefits the other side of the mountain gets. Oh, that would probably foster resentment. They already are. One time I mentioned to someone in Okanogan that I was from the Methow. She had one word.."sagebrush". And I said bull...Maybe she couldn't tell the difference between sagebrush and bitter brush.
And the dream of Methow County but has to go through the legislature and no one is willing to pick up that fight.
So we continue on here, like we always do. Are we complacent? No, we just know there are other issues. I say we hire private plowers to plow our roads. Would need a fleet, but there is power in numbers. Lots of jobs.
Jingles will poo poo that idea, probably.
Pearl Cherrington
User avatar
mister_coffee
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Winthrop, WA
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by mister_coffee »

I kind of have an unpleasant personal perspective on this. My driveway/access road turns off just north the junction of the E Chewuch and W Chewuch roads. What I've noticed over the years is that the county does not want to plow that section of road, or for that matter the road all the way to the Eightmile Sno-Park. This is in spite of the fact that the county gets state funds to plow the road and the Sno-Park. My observation is that until somebody complains, that road (and for that matter the Sno-Park) is not plowed. While for me that is at most a minor inconvenience, if you lived in the redneck habitat zone further up valley it would be a pretty major issue. Or for that matter if you wanted to go snowmobiling.

In candid conversations I've had with county officials and some public figures (like the lovely folks at the Farm Bureau) for the most part they view the Methow as, at best, an annoying inconvenience and I've had some of them argue with a straight face that the Methow isn't "really" a part of Okanogan County. This in spite of the fact that the valley has less than one-third of the population of the county and manages to pay over two-thirds of the tax revenue. That isn't just property taxes too. Hotel taxes here far outstrip the rest of the county, and Twisp and Winthrop punch far above their weight in retail sales taxes too (ski rentals, hundred dollar merino wool underwear, $3000 mountain bikes, and $1000 pairs of skis add up).

Our tourism economy here isn't taken very seriously by the county, and never has been.

Oh, and skiing or snowshoeing in roads, especially in the foggy white-out conditions we've been having recently, is an extremely unsafe activity and is not recommended.
:arrow: David Bonn :idea:
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by PAL »

You are right on all counts. However it is not just plowing for the tourists, it is plowing for the worker bees that provide services like grocery stores, food servers, hospitality workers, and other businesses that depend on workers to be there. A person can prepare as much as possible and still not be able to make it to their jobs and so be it.
'96-'97 sure don't want a repeat of that. And we don't have it bad at all compared to Buffalo NY. Have you seen what is going on there?
Pearl Cherrington
Jingles
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:48 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by Jingles »

Pearl
No it isn't that I am not concerned about EMS being able to get somewhere when needed, but I do not count on them to be able to save a life, fight a fire or even respond to an accident.
As far as this valley being a tourist economy yes I do agree and yes plowed roads do make it easier for folks to get around even if they feel they must take their share of the road out of the middle. If the tourists came here to ski, snowshoe or just make snowmen and the roads are impassible, strap on the skis , snowshoes or put on their snowsuits and go do what they came here to do, play in the snow.
No idea why they did not plow Twisp River road when they supposedly plowed Lost River and ? West County road other than Lost River road and the areas above Big Valley Ranch historically get more snow than the mid valley and below, West County Road I am presuming you are referencing Twisp- Carlton road is an alternate means in and out of the valley verses Trisp River Road is basically a dead end road.especially in the winter. As far as plowing Friday both County and State crews were kept busy with the blowing drifting snow from the high winds, i.e. 30 to 35mph winds near Mazama, I refer you to the alert sent out by Emergency Management,. I totally agree that the County and State crews are doing a pretty good job so far this winter however NO ONE can expect them to work 20 hr days 7 days a week just for the convenience of folks that feel they must get out and see the sights, If the person needed to get out for essentials, i.e. food, and couldn't that is their problem as all week there were alerts that a storm was coming and should of prepared for impassible roads or even loss of basic services (power) to include an alternate source of heat.
There was and is a saying "That pi$$ poor prior planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"
I am sure that when the full crews come on both State and county crews will get the roads cleaned up as soon as possible just be thankful we did not get a repeat of the snow dump of 96/97 30+ inches overnight as at that time folks were snowed in for a week or more
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by PAL »

Well, my property taxes that just went up alot should help pay for that holiday overtime, don't ya think? Yes, we live in snow country, Mr. high and mighty smug, Jingles. But emergency services may some day may need to get through to save your....life. But maybe you don't care because, hey, it's snow country.
The county needs to realize that it is a tourist economy that we have now. A bit of plowing will go a long way. Twisp River Rd.should have been plowed on Sat. then. It was bad Friday night. My husband is a good driver and he could only go about 20-25. Had to stay in the middle, which he does not like to do.
Saturday wasn't a holiday. Some roads got plowed on Christmas day; the West county road and Lost River being two. I didn't expect the Twisp River Rd. to be plowed on Christmas Day however.
They do a great job, all in all, but this was an instance when at some point the Twisp should have been plowed. Spokane Grade has seen many a spin out in the past.
And the Twisp did get plowed today. A phone call helped.
Pearl Cherrington
Jingles
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:48 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by Jingles »

Apparently some folks aren't aware that today 12/26 was a holiday so why should the county pay overtime plus holiday pay. The road you mentioned as being clear is State hiway so different people responsible And after all we do live in snow country so some need to learn to live with it.
User avatar
mister_coffee
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Winthrop, WA
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by mister_coffee »

Nice to know they are catching up...
:arrow: David Bonn :idea:
User avatar
pasayten
Posts: 2444
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:03 pm
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by pasayten »

Just drove the East Chewuch... It was fine for 30-35 mph... They plowed main highway thru Winthrop to Twisp...
pasayten
Ray Peterson
User avatar
mister_coffee
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Winthrop, WA
Contact:

Re: Plowing

Post by mister_coffee »

East and West Chewuch (and any spur roads like Cub Creek Road) are also not plowed. And with the freezing rain and the higher temperatures turning the snow to goop it is very ugly out there.
:arrow: David Bonn :idea:
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Plowing

Post by PAL »

Does anyone know if the county is plowing? I know there is an icing going on. All the more reason for them to plow. Twisp River Rd. has some ice, but underneath it is fluff. Surely the big plow rigs can handle it?
They could be doing other areas and haven't gotten to us.
Nope. Just found out that it is a holiday for the county. Our economy depends on tourism. So...shouldn't it be made a little easier for them and for us!
Please call Andy Hover at 509-669-1606. He won't mind as my husband just called and talked to him and explained the situation. We were the first to call. Andy had no idea.
Pearl Cherrington
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests