bureau of maintenance

Perhaps a public conversation during a recent City Council meeting has resulted in several "helpful reminders" for the upcoming winter weather, or they were coming anyway, but citizens are asked to heed these seasonal rules to make the best of it for yourselves and others for the next several months.

This is the time
Driving conditions can change quickly, so be prepared for those changes. This is the time to check over your vehicle for proper operation of all safety features. This is the time to put on those snow tires if you use them. This is the time to check over your entire vehicle for winter driving.

There is “No Parking" on city streets between 2 and 6 a.m. If at all possible, try not to park on the street when snowing so that snow can be cleared to the curb line/edge of pavement.

Stay back from snowplows at least 100 feet. If you can't see the mirrors on the snowplow, then the snowplow operator cannot see you. Snowplow operators are out there to help make the roads safe.

The property owner's responsibility. Please keep your sidewalks clear of snow and ice. It is the property owner's responsibility to keep the sidewalks adjacent to your property clear. There are significant numbers of pedestrians in the city.

It was this issue that came up during a recent City Council meeting, as it often does at least once a year. A citizen complained about not being able to walk on the sidewalks when not shoveled, and she had to walk in the street along with school children. Council members encouraged folks to help out their neighbors when possible and understand there may be times when circumstances result in unshoveled pathways.

Do not shovel, plow, or snow blow into the road. If you have your driveway plowed, do not push it into or across the road or block sidewalks. These all create hazards for you and the community.

Be patient and plan ahead. None of us can control the weather. Leave more time for travel if the weather is forecasting snow. In severe weather, try to limit any unnecessary travel.

Bureau of Maintenance's first response: 

When it does snow the City Department of Public Works, Bureau of Maintenance, responds to the weather. Upon the initial onset of snow, the Bureau of Maintenance will respond with what we call a salt run.

Three plows outfitted with material spreaders are dispatched to apply anti-icing materials (rock salt) to roadways and parking lots. This will help prevent or break up snow from binding to the pavement. If snow persists and depending on the type of snow, this operation will change from a salt run to a plowing operation.

Bureau's typical plowing operation:
In a plowing operation, there are nine distinct routes designed for the most efficient use of our equipment. Be it wide streets, narrow streets, dead-ends or parking lots, we have different equipment to handle each unique area.

It takes about four hours to get through the city once in a moderate snow event. We normally try to get through the City twice during a plow operation.

Each snow event is different. Snow events vary from low moisture to high moisture, from flurries to high intensity, from relatively warm to bitter cold, with traffic or without traffic, day/night, weekends and holidays. Each impacts how we fight the snow, with our ultimate goal to keep the City open for business and safe for travel.

City officials thank you for your cooperation and ask you to be safe this winter season.

Press Release:

Residents are asked to rake leaves into piles and leave them in the parkway (un-bagged). Please, place it close to the curb line/edge of the roadway without placing it in the street. Do not pile around fire hydrants, trees, utility poles, or signposts. Leaf piles should only contain leaves and no branches, grass clippings, or other materials.

Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Northside working from Grandview Terrace moving West, North of Main Street, and a second crew on the Southside beginning on River Street moving East in areas South of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes. It takes about 2 weeks to go through the entire city and fluctuates from there depending on the size of the leaf loads.

Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the Yard Waste Station until it closes for the season on Dec. 9. The Yard Waste hours are 12 - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 4, and then 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. from November 6th through December 9th due to the hours of daylight. The Yard Waste Station will be closed on Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving Day and will officially close for the season after Dec. 9.

Important information about leaf collection:

• Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and all animal waste – if animal waste or other debris is found in the piles, they will not be picked up.
• Grass clippings, flower potting, branches, and pumpkins cannot be picked up and residents may bring those items to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street (which will be open through Dec. 9).
• Leaves should not block traffic or be piled near intersection corners. This causes sight issues for motorists/bicyclists/pedestrians.
• Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding.
• Leaves should not be piled around mailboxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants, or other obstacles. 
• Do not park on leaf piles. The heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire. 
• Do not wait to get your leaves out. We will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection.
• If it is snowing, we plow first. If it continues to snow, then leaf operations will be suspended.
• There is no leaf pickup in the spring.

Contact the Bureau of Maintenance @ 585-345-6400 option 1 if you have any questions.

From the city's Bureau of Maintenance:

• Residents & Property Owners of Clinton Park, Fordham Drive, Eugene Street and Holmes Avenue -- Resurfacing

Press release:

Citywide leaf collection will begin Oct. 29 and will continue until Nov. 30.

Bureau of Maintenance, 147 Walnut St., Batavia

Press release from Raymond Tourt, city superintendent of Maintenance:

Citywide leaf collection begins Oct. 26 and continues until Nov. 25.

Residents of the following streets can rake to the parkway but do not place in the street; these streets are: Clinton Street, Oak Street, Main Street (including East and West Main Street), Pearl Street, South Main Street (between Oak Street and Walnut Street),Walnut Street, Richmond Avenue (between Oak Street and Prospect Avenue). 

If your street has a route number (i.e. Route 5, Route 33, Route 63 and Route 98), then please keep leaves out of the roadway.

All other streets are asked to rake leaves to the curb line, taking care not to block storm drainage structures/ catch basins.

Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Southside beginning on River Street moving east in areas south of Main Street and second crew on the Northside will work from Grandview Terrace moving west, north of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes. It takes about a week and half to go through the entire city.

Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the yard waste station until it closes for the season on Dec. 5. Effective Nov. 2^nd, the hours of the Yard Waste Station operation will be adjusted to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LEAF COLLECTION

• Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and other debris.
• Grass clippings, flower pottings, branches, pumpkins cannot be picked up and residents an encouraged to bring those items to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street.
• Leaves should not block traffic.
• Leaves should not be piled near intersection corners. This causes sight issues for motorist/bicyclists/pedestrians.
• Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding. 
• Leaves should not be piled around mailboxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants or other obstacles. 
• Do not park on leaf piles. The heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire.
• Do not wait to get your leaves out. We will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection.
• If it is snowing, we plow first. If it continues to snow, then leaf operations will be suspended.
• There is no leaf pickup in the Spring.