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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPWD-005-22Clarftwn Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Joint Committees Date of Meeting: February 7, 2022 Report Number: PWD-005-22 Submitted By: Stephen Brake, Director of Public Works Reviewed By: File Number: Mary -Anne Dempster, CAO Resolution#:GG-121-22 Report Subject: Sidewalk Snow Clearing Recommendations: By-law Number: 1. That Report PWD-005-22 and any related communication items, be received; and 2. That all interested parties listed in Report PWD-005-22 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report PWD-005-22 Report Overview At the January 24, 2022, Council meeting staff were directed to report back on the status of Sidewalk Snow Clearing operations. This report is intended to provide a very high-level overview of current challenges with the delivery of existing service levels and to also identify potential options to be explored by staff in greater detail following the end of the current winter control season. The findings of these investigations will be reported back to Council in the early Spring for further direction. 1. Background 1.1 On January 17, 2022, a major winter storm occurred in Southern Ontario with some of the highest snow accumulations being recorded in Durham Region. The snowfall that occurred is reported to have exceeded 55 centimeters causing significant delays and disruptions to the provision of our various winter control services. 1.2 The Municipality has historically relied on an external contractor to provide snow clearing services for parking lots at municipal facilities, municipal sidewalks, trails, school crossing guard locations, laneways, connecting paths and to provide snow removal services as directed. A new vendor for this work, GWS Landscaping Inc., was awarded the contract in the Fall of 2021. 1.3 For sidewalks that are located at the front or adjacent to homes or businesses, each respective property owner is responsible for the clearing the snow and ice during the winter months. Staff of the Municipal Law Enforcement Division respond to complaints for the enforcement of the snow clearing By-law #93-144. Municipal Law Enforcement matters are outside the scope of this report, however a separate review of their snow removal needs is also taking place and is receiving the attention of the Director of Legislative Services who can provide an update as needed. 2. Operational Status 2.1 Service level expectations are clearly articulated in the procurement documents, and staff continuously monitor the performance of our vendor to ensure that expectations are met. Staff have been in constant communication with the vendor, both before and after the January 17 snowfall event, in order to avoid complaints of incomplete or missed locations, including facilities, sidewalks, trails, Senior's locations and crosswalks. Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report PWD-005-22 2.2 Any deficiencies that are identified with the contracted services are recorded and presented to the vendor to remedy. 2.3 Prior to January 17, staff also completed an inspection of the contractor's depot and equipment by Clarington staff to ensure the quantity and condition of the contractor's equipment were sufficient for the task. These resources, however, were considered under normal storm response requirements. 2.4 Staff attempt to address and resolve any service level deficiencies issues with the contractor at every occasion with an expectation that they will be corrected. 2.5 The January 17, 2022 winter event was historic in terms of the volume of accumulated snow. In response, the Municipality of Clarington officially declared a Significant Weather Event. This declaration under the Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards provides Municipalities with additional time to respond to required levels of service respecting the clearing of snow from roads and sidewalks. 2.6 Consistent with the Municipality's response to any winter storm, our contracted services were called -out early on January 17, 2022, but it quickly became apparent that their resources were completely overwhelmed by the amount of work required at most locations. It was also reported by the vendor that issues were being experienced related to equipment breakdowns and a shortage of staff to complete minimum work requirements within a reasonable timeframe. 2.7 Most of the GTA schoolboards were closed for 2-3 days following the storm to allow for suitable snow cleanup. The Kawartha Pineridge and Peterborough Victoria and Northumberland County School Boards, however, did not close their schools on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, despite the presence of severely snowed -in sidewalks, crosswalks, walkways, impassable streets and the lack of parking. 2.8 This situation was discussed with the school boards on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, and it was agreed that an additional snow day closure would occur on Wednesday January 19, 2022, to allow the Municipality more time to target snow clearing operations in school areas and on main sidewalks. 2.9 In an effort to improve service levels and to aid GWS, Municipal staff also reached out to another local snow clearing vendor for assistance on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. This additional contractor, BJ Flint, provided welcome assistance to supplement the work of our primary vendor in areas where there was a need. These areas included main walking routes on sidewalks, trails, urban walkways and paths. 2.10 Following our initial response to storm clean-up on roads, Municipal staff have also been mobilized to provide snow removal in the Downtown Business Improvement areas of Orono, Bowmanville and Newcastle. Further, extensive snow removal work has also Municipality of Clarington Report PWD-005-22 Page 4 occurred on numerous roadway courts throughout the Municipality and along the boulevards on Highway #2 between Courtice Road and Townline Road in Courtice. Work along Highway #2 in Courtice has also involved the assistance of the Region of Durham who have jurisdiction over the roadway. 2.11 It should be noted that a number of other jurisdictional issues have affected the timely and effective provision of snow clearing operations along the Highway #2 corridor in Courtice. In this area the Region of Durham is responsible for roadway snow plowing while the Municipality and the respective private property owners are responsible for sidewalk snow clearing. Issues that arose included the clearing of snow by Durham Transit's contractor onto sidewalks, the plowing of heavy snow from Highway #2 onto the sidewalks and the poor response to the clearing of snow on the sidewalks fronting private properties. A response by Clarington staff to these areas under normal snow removal operations is not typical. 2.12 The effects of the January 17, 2022, storm can still be seen in many areas throughout Clarington. Staff are presently responding to these concerns by scheduling the removal of snow from main intersections and on sidewalks where storage space is very limited. Work will commence in these additional areas beginning on Monday, February 7, 2022. Members of Council are encouraged to report any problem areas to the Public Works Department so that they can be suitably addressed as part of this clean-up response. 3. Options 3.1 At the conclusion of the 2021-2022 winter season, staff will be undertaking a complete review of our current contract with a view to improvement. It is possible that changes will be needed to better allocate work to the three distinct service areas of Courtice, Bowmanville and Newcastle, as well as the outlying Hamlets. A revised structure of work allocation may require an additional investment of resources to achieve the desired service levels, subject to Council approval. 3.2 Given the large scope of work under the existing contract and the continued reluctance of contractors to bid on this type of work, it may also be prudent to devote additional staff resources to this work, again subject to Council approval. For the Municipal component this option will require a considerable investment into new capital equipment and the hiring of new staff. Routes for sidewalks could be developed to maximize efficiency for both service providers resulting in better response times and the ability for each service provider to complement each other and ensure timelines are met. 4. Concurrence Not Applicable Municipality of Clarington Report PWD-005-22 5. Conclusion Page 5 Given the current time of year, implementing changes to our existing contractual arrangements for the various services cannot be made without incurring additional issues, delays and other risks. It is therefore respectfully recommended that staff be given the time to prepare a business case scenario for each of the above options and to report back to Council in the early Spring. This opportunity will allow the Municipality to be much better prepared to respond to winter conditions during the next winter season of 2022-2023. Staff Contact: Brett Novak, Manager of Operations, 905-623-3379, extension 2909 or bnovak@clarington.net. Attachments: Not Applicable Interested Parties: There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.