WINTER POLICIES
Please review to help ensure that vehicular and pedestrian traffic have a safe winter. 

WINTER PARKING
On-street parking is prohibited on arterial and collector roads during the winter months per Sanford City Ordinance.  On-street parking is prohibited entirely during declared emergencies as determined by the Public Works Department (such as winter parking bans). Overnight Public parking is permitted in the Benton Park parking lot on Roberts Street and the Heritage Crossing parking lot. The Department asks that vehicles parked there be moved once, 12-24 hours after every storm, so that the parking lot can be maintained and that vehicles don't become entrapped in snow and ice.  Public parking is not provided in any other City parking lot unless specifically stipulated in writing.

OBJECTS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY 
Although our plow drivers are warned to take all precautions possible in order not to hit objects in the right of way, experience has shown that with reduced visibility during a storm it is not always possible for the driver to see the object in time to avoid striking it with the wing of the plow. As any installation of this nature that is within the Right-of-Way of a City road is placed there at the owner’s risk, the City of Sanford does not typically assume the responsibility of replacing mailboxes, posts, or any other item that is within the City's Right-of-Way. 

RUBBISH PICK-UP
During the winter months, curbside pickup can be a problem. Here are some helpful hints to assist with curbside pick-up.

• Please do not put rubbish out prior to 7:00 a.m. the morning of your trash pick up day. During cold weather or storms the bags will "freeze" into the ground or snow bank and the crews are unable to pick them up.
• Placing trash bags on top of high snow banks makes them hard to get to. Please place trash at the end of the entrance into your driveway or in an appropriate area. Please DO NOT place trash behind snow banks.
• Please keep in mind that trash bags are not always visible in the snow. Orange trash bags help to alleviate this problem but are sometimes still obscured.

PLOWING/SANDING/SALTING AND SNOW REMOVAL
The City of Sanford is ready for the inevitable snow we will receive this winter. The Public Works Department will continue to carry out a complete snow removal/ice control program on all Public streets within the City of Sanford/Village of Springvale. Because winter can be trying for motorists, it's important for you to know how snow removal and ice control will be handled. The City of Sanford maintains approximately one hundred and eighty-five (185) miles of roads throughout the winter. The Public Works Department is responsible for oversight of all winter maintenance. A Contractor hired by the City is responsible for plowing approximately twenty five miles on the West Side. A Contractor hired by the City is responsible for plowing approximately twenty five rural miles on the East Side. The City plows the remaining miles. The City is also responsible for the sanding/salting of all roads. The City has the capacity to store 1,600 tons of salt under cover. The salt stockpile is adequate for numerous storms and is replenished as needed. The use of sand has been curtailed to reduce environmental threats and the operating costs associated with repeated treatments necessary when using sand.

WHEN THE STORM STARTS
An important step in dealing with snowfall is street salting. Top priority is given to the City's main roads. Those roads are routes that the City has found to have the heaviest year-round traffic. They are major arteries running North/South or East/West. Operations begin when frozen precipitation begins falling.

WHEN THE STORM CONTINUES
When approximately two inches of snow has accumulated and more is expected, the City then moves into the plowing operation. Our first responsibility is to open the main roads. These arterials are the key to maintaining a steady flow for residential traffic and emergency vehicles. The plowing then continues to all streets on the routes to "open up" each one in sequence. If the storm continues in intensity the trucks remain in that same pattern until the storm abates. When that condition occurs, the trucks then begin to "widen out" all roads by pushing the accumulated snow back to the curb line and clearing the intersections. Remember that trained crews work round the clock during such storms to keep the roads open and passable. If there is a problem concerning road conditions, call the Sanford Public Works Department. Crews continue to monitor all roads for icy spots and areas where winds redeposit the snow in traffic lanes. Usually an application of salt is applied to all intersections, hills and curves, so that the riding surface and braking areas remain drivable.

SNOW PLOWING SIDEWALKS
The City plows sidewalks in the same manner as roads. Sidewalks along all main roads, business districts, schools and churches are plowed as soon as possible, after the roads are cleared.  The City maintains a map layer on Sanford's GIS web site illustrating which sidewalks are cleared by Public Works in the winter.

SNOW REMOVAL
After a substantial snowfall, windrows and banks of snow are removed from the business districts, schools, churches and streets. Crews are also assigned to clear catch basins so that melting snow can run off. The Department makes every effort to schedule snow removal during off-hours. However, snow removal procedures may cause delays with traffic.

HELPFUL HINTS
As certain as the snowfall is, the certainty that we will displease some property owners because we will be plowing the entrance to their already cleared driveways full of snow again. Actually, we wish we could leave each driveway meticulously clear, but to do this would mean that we would never finish the plowing in a reasonable time. During a storm, our plowing must keep the pavement, or traveled right-of-way, cleared. After the storm and after the pavement has cleared, we must “widen-out. And clear the shoulder. During this phase the driveway conflict appears, a plow on widening operations fills the opening in the driveway you have cleared. We recognize this as discouraging and irritating, but with your cooperation this inconvenience can be minimized. We suggest that you keep the following in mind when you clear your driveway.  When shoveling out the mouth of your driveway throw the snow to the right or "down-side".
DO NOT throw it in the road; it will only be redeposited when the plow comes around again. DO NOT clean snow off your car in the road. Please do not plow the snow onto the sidewalks in front of your residence. It takes twice as long to plow and is very costly.

LISTEN FOR SNOW ALERTS
Whenever possible, parking bans for emergency snow removal purposes are announced on radio stations: WHEB, WOKQ, WCQL, WPOR. They are also announced on Channel 6, 8, and 13 and the City's webpage.  Remember, there is no overnight parking in Sanford/Springvale from November 15, to April 1st. of each year. Vehicles parked illegally on major thoroughfares or abandoned on roads are subject to towing at the owner's expense as well as ticketing by the Police Department. Please remove your car from the street as soon as you are aware of a storm warning. Be careful to avoid parking on the street in a manner that will obstruct snow removal equipment.

BE PATIENT
Remember, whether it is your driveway for which you are responsible or the 185+ miles of roads that the City is responsible for, snow removal is an arduous and time-consuming job. The City will be well aware of any impending snowstorm and will alert crews before the bad weather is due to arrive. If you have already called about a legitimate driving hazard please don't call a second time. . The City of Sanford only has so many trucks and we will get there as soon as we possibly can. Please understand that the City cannot shovel ridges or windrows from your driveway that were left by the snowplow, nor can City crews plow private property.