UPDATES
Wednesday 10:30 a.m.
Bartlesville Police Department has activated Operation Slick Streets.
“This will continue throughout the winter weather event, likely until Friday or Saturday,” said Deputy Chief Rocky Bevard. “We will continue to monitor conditions and advise when BPD returns to normal operations regarding response to non-injury accidents.”
Citizens can go to the City’s website and file an accident report: https://www.cityofbartlesville.org/…/file-report…/
Information is also available on the Bartlesville Police Facebook page.
Wednesday 9 a.m.
City Street Department crews have been treating bridges, intersections and main arterial since about 5 a.m. Snow is expected for the area later today.
CityRide is closed today. Cimarron Public Transit, which operates the City’s public transportation system, will determine whether the service will be open tomorrow, Feb. 3, by 6 p.m. today.
Adams Golf Club Pro shop will close today at 10 a.m.
All other City facilities are open today, including City Hall, Bartlesville Public Library, and Bartlesville Area History Museum.
Sanitation collection will occur as normally scheduled.
Snow policy
In accordance with the City’s Snow and Ice Removal Policy:
City departments prepare for storm system
Public Works Director Keith Henry, who oversees Street and Sanitation operations, says crews are ready to respond as necessary.
“We typically stock 1,500 to 2,000 tons of material to treat our roads on an annual basis, so we have plenty of material on-hand to treat roads and bridges in accordance with the City’s Snow Policy,” Henry said. “We currently have seven trucks capable of snow plowing and sanding, and we prep those well in advance — typically in November — for the upcoming season to ensure they are serviced and all equipment is in working order.”
He said some equipment, such as spreader boxes and snowplows, are detachable, which remain detached so the trucks can be used for other work when the additional equipment is not needed.
“But they are easily reattached and can be ready to go very quickly,” he said.
Henry said the number of trucks and the equipment used during an event depends on the amount of accumulation.
“When minor accumulation is forecast, the trucks are equipped with sand boxes but not snow plows, as the plows can be dangerous to have on the truck, if not needed, and only take about 10 minutes to attach if they are needed,” he said. “A minimum of two trucks are equipped and used during no or light accumulation. During major events, when significant accumulation is forecast, all seven trucks are utilized.”
One Public Works staff member is on call 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and that person assesses the situation and determines how much additional assistance will be needed based on the severity of the event and call out other staff accordingly.
“During major events, our guys work 12-hour shifts for as long as needed,” Henry said. “We really just have to wait and see how much snow we get and the condition of the roads before we can make that call.”
Henry said Sanitation collection will continue as normally scheduled unless the trucks simply won’t run.
“We had issues keeping our equipment running during that very cold winter event last February,” he said. “But we were still able to service everyone. It might take longer, so we ask everyone to be patient, but we will collect as normally scheduled.”
Water and sewer lines can also be an issue during extremely cold weather. Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said crews are on stand-by this week and will respond as needed.
“Water and sewer line breakage can be a problem during a severe winter event,” Lauritsen said. “We keep our equipment ready to go at a moment’s notice and staff is always on-call, so we will be ready to respond to these issues as needed.”
More information
Snow and ice removal
Priority is given to streets in the following order:
- Major arterial streets
- Collector streets
- Residential streets
To view the policy in its entirety, see Snow and Ice Removal Policy.
Emergency numbers
For life threatening police or fire emergencies, dial 911.
Non-life threatening Police 918.338.4001
Non-life threatening Fire 918.338.4091
After hours Water and Sewer Hotline 918.338.4055