Sean Kershaw
@seankershaw
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166
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Public Works Director for City of St. Paul. Parent of Grace & Aidan. Husband of Tim. Co-Producer of #grandoakopry . Tweets are not my own, mostly.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Joined October 2008
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Hey everyone. I want to be as accountable & transparent as possible – & apologize because we only finished 2/3 of our EW routes yesterday. The biggest reasons were weather & totally new routes. 1/5
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Maintaining our infrastructure is incredibly hard work - but worth it. I’ve said in past posts that Saint Paul’s sanitary sewers are ‘magnificent’. They are. But I realized this past week that the workers taking care of the sewers (& us) deserve the real praise. 1/
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As we near a record high temp, and as the Twin Cities Marathon was cancelled because of heat…let’s talk about snow. ❄️ 1/
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The DPW has a CDL class B w air brake certificate. Last fall I went through Snow Plow Operator Training (SPOT) with our new drivers. I obtained my commercial drivers license (CDL) in Nov, & I got my first chance plowing snow this past Friday. (See pics.) Long 🧵 1/
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Let me know if anyone has a map of sales tax votes by precinct in Saint Paul. And HUGE thanks to the voters in Saint Paul. We will spend these resources wisely.
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#hotmix
is happening. Please be patient.
Public Works crews are patching potholes throughout
@cityofsaintpaul
with hot mix! Cold mix asphalt that is used during the winter is only temporary for patching. Please be patient as we start to patch with hot mix. We are prioritizing arterial high volume traffic streets first.
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People who live in cast iron and clay pipe houses…..
There is a cast iron water main on Summit that is 135 years old.
120-year-old sewer pipe to blame for sinkhole in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood.
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They make a difference every single day.
I have so much respect for them & their work . 9/
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Huge thanks to the
@SaintPaulParks
&
@stpaulpublicw
staff who spent thousands of hours working with the community to produce this plan. The comments made by Councilmembers at the end of the night were worth the wait.
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Drivers and their supervisors are working overtime to get this done. Please be patient with them, & I apologize that we didn’t meet our goals or your expectations. This is important work. Sean.kershaw
@stpaul
.gov 6/5 (Sorry I went long)
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This is either your punishment or your reward for the past week. My genuine hope is that this information, while perhaps super boring, is helpful. Let me know how it can be better. Grateful for the
@stpaulpublicw
crews who will be working over the next 24 hours.
Today, we had 40 crews plowing arterial streets across
@cityofsaintpaul
. Listen to Public Works Director Sean Kershaw discuss why a Snow Emergency was declared for tonight starting at 9 p.m. Learn more at .
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Grateful for the attention
@MayorCarter
pays to critical services like snow plowing. It’s appreciated by the workers, it provides first hand experience in how to innovate this work, and it’s part of
@cityofsaintpaul
‘s “enterprise” approach to snow operations.
Look who joined to help us plow!
@mayorcarter
is one of many Saint Paul employees trained to drive a plow truck this season. Thanks to Mayor Carter and our incredible
@stpaulpublicw
crew, who have been out since Friday clearing our roads, bridges, and bike lanes.
#TeamSaintPaul
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Our
@stpaulpublicw
crews did great work this year, arguably the toughest year for them in decades.
Saint Paul drivers will have a bit smoother drive this winter, thanks to the tireless work of
@stpaulpublicw
, who recently completed route patching on every single street in the city. Crews worked overtime for eight weeks in response to the over 3,800 pothole complaints. (1/2)
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An update on outcomes & next steps:
* Our performance improved today. We completed between 85-90% of our routes, & anecdotal evidence is that the performance was better. Some of the ice is still really tough to get up. So today was not 100% but was a genuine improvement. 1/3
CITYWIDE RESIDENTIAL PLOWING CANCELLED for 1/19 & 1/20 due to forecasted snow storm arriving tonight 1/18. Crews will need to be out plowing arterial (main) streets across
@CityofSaintPaul
tomorrow 1/19. For details and plowing update, visit
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My fully Moderna’d + 2 weeks Mom took Lyft (for the first time ever) by herself to her PT appointment today. After 14 months of pandemic plus other trauma, she said it felt so good to be independent she wanted to cry w joy. This is literally the best thing I’ve heard in months.
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"Everything Everywhere All At Once" was the working title of my PW Q1 report to the Mayor. I hear this is taken. I'm open to suggestions.
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Snow emergencies are an incredible mix of dynamics. Human: Duty, hard work, strength, skill, endurance, & care for the community. Physical: chemistry, physics, innovative technology, & basic mechanics. We have lots of room for improvement, but I’m grateful for this team.
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More info on why we didn’t call a SE yesterday. The bottom line is that we could have a bigger impact NOT calling one & getting right to the residentials. We are trying our best to be innovative & flexible, & respond to resident concerns. 🧵1/9
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And finally…it’s super fun. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a blast to do this. Ten-year old me would have never thought this was possible. Putting the plow down & moving snow for the first time was fantastic. 13/
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To brighten your day, an amazing Saint Paul resident surprised the drivers and phone staff with REALLY good cookies and bonbons yesterday. (And we hadn’t plowed her side of the street.) 😬Thank you Kimmy for the kindness
#TeamSaintPaul
#TeamSaintPlow
❄️💙
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Minnesota & Saint Paul leading on innovative solutions to copper theft. This proposal builds on what has worked to dramatically cut catalytic converter theft. And SPPD is doing a fantastic job catching thieves. Thanks
@MayorCarter
,
@SenatorPappas
,
@AthenaHollins
&
@GovTimWalz
We’re seeing an uptick in copper wire theft in Minnesota. But the good news is we have legislation to address this crime head-on and shut illegal sellers out of the market – just like we did for catalytic converter theft last year.
Let’s get it done.
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Fight ice w nice. ❄️🚨are about physics/chemistry but they are also civic/social. Our staff have never seen such anger (yelling/f-bombs/threats). I don’t have a magic wand to make mean people nice but think about doing an extra good deed in the snow for someone you don’t know 1/3
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What the country sees live (which ain’t great), versus the precarious contraption I built to hold my phone and light my face in the last minute before going live. I was worried the phone would fall over the entire (live) interview.
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Thanks
@kowalskismarket
for providing some extra energy for the plow drivers who were out all night in the cold or about to head out for the day. They do great work for St Paul & you’re a great St Paul business.
@stpaulpublicw
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On Thursday morning I went 35 feet under West 7th in a sandrock/brick sanitary sewer tunnel originally constructed in 1879. The goal was to help our crews remove solids that accumulate in the flow & need to be taken out to help the system function smoothly. 2/
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TEAM STPLOW: I can’t say enough about the trainees & instructors from
@stpaulpublicw
&
@SaintPaulParks
. They take enormous pride in their work & know their work matters. Their support for each other was inspiring. 3/
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We finished all of our routes today, & will move on to clean-ups/complaints & work to address the ice in the coming week. Grateful for the patience & persistence of Saint Paulites, & the amazing teamwork on the part of
@stpaulpublicw
&
@cityofsaintpaul
staff
#TeamSaintPaul
SNOW EMERGENCY UPDATE 1/20: The Night and Day Plow routes have been completed. Crews are still plowing, salting and doing cleanup across
@cityofsaintpaul
. Updates at
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Grateful for the team at Saint Paul Regional Water Services! The 1895 cast iron water main in front of our house broke this evening. They had it repaired and working again in hours.
@stpaulpublicw
was there for support, jetting out the sanitary line.
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MOVE YOUR CARS OR I’LL PLOW YOUR STREET! I’m trying to get a CDL (I have a learners permit) & spent time two weeks ago with our trainees and instructors learning how to drive a plow. The week is spent both in the classroom (safety, regs, use of chemicals), & in the field. 1/
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Sidenote
#3
: Someone needs to do a study on the immune systems of these workers…and their gut biome. I’m serious. I bet they have teflon immune systems and a very different gut biome.
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@stpaulpublicw
@SaintPaulParks
SORRY FOR ALL CAPS. We are implementing new strategies this year in Saint Paul, learning from last winter. It’s an enterprise approach, initiated by
@MayorCarter
, that involves ALL departments/Directors, & City Council leadership & staff. 9/9
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Bring on the
#hotmix
!
It's that time of year! The
@cityofsaintpaul
Asphalt Plant has opened for the season. Crews are out pothole patching with hot mix. Our plant is one of the few municipally-owned & operated asphalt facilities in the US. Watch a video:
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@WedgeLIVE
Congratulations Director Cornhole. The keys to the truck are under the orange traffic cone at 891 Dale. Thanks
@MayorCarter
. It was a hell of a run!! :)
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The team cares a lot about making streets safe, whether it’s plowing or patching or sweeping. Move your cars, stay out of their way, and wave to them when you can! We’re hiring too. Come work for us in
@stpaulpublicw
! 14/14
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I thought I might change my mind about loving the job when it snows, but seeing our crews step up & step out when it’s super cold is energizing. And the details of snow/salt/sand when it’s super cold are fascinating.
@stpaulpublicw
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Thanks to
@AthenaHollins
&
@SenatorPappas
and for their leadership. This bill is incredibly timely and important.
State lawmakers propose bill in hopes of curbing rash of copper wire thefts.
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@dhmontgomery
@Reddit
Being naughty will not get potholes filled faster. Our crews are working as fast as they can now on both snow and potholes, and it's too cold to open our bituminous plant for better road treatments.
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On some streets, like my own, the impact of the work was not clear or acceptable. The public did their part – moving their cars. We are working today to do our part. 3/5
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@sj_obc
@lankybutmacho
@pedalingprof
Sorry for the delay. A quick🧵.The fundamental issue we were addressing with this treatment on Summit was that the condition of the drive lanes on parts of Summit was so bad that it was an immediate danger for cyclists & a hazard for cars. 1/
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#teamSaintPlow
activate
@CityofSaintPaul
Declares Back-to-Back Snow Emergencies for Wednesday night and Thursday night. All residents asked to prepare, limit non-essential travel, and move vehicles off the streets according to Snow Emergency parking rules. See full details at
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Our strategy: fix the lights, catch/prosecute the criminals, & make it worthless to possess stolen copper by passing the legislation at the Capitol. Kudos to
@sppdmn
!
St. Paul copper wire theft ring caused more than $210,000 in damage, prosecutors say.
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But I get the pride they take in this work. They know it’s hard, & it matters to everyone in Saint Paul. It also makes sense now why they are all such good guys (they were all guys) & decent to each other. It was fun to joke & make smalltalk as we worked. They are all a team. 8/
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We will adjust Thurs/Fri schedules if needed based on predicted snow, including how and if we can go back to the north side of EW streets. I’m accountable for this as it was a new strategy. 5/5
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Too soon
@MnDOT
. Too soon. :)
The days start getting shorter today and you know what that means... 😏❄️
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I know this breaks the Ramona Quimby Rule, but one more & I’ll stop. Sound is part of the experience. The roar of the engine. The clanking of the chains. The clunk of the blade hitting the pavement, & the whoosh of the snow moving off the plow.
@stpaulpublicw
#ASMR
#snowplow
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Current reality: watching snow plows return in the rain, while listening to the muffled base line of Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's Dead" blasting in our welding shop next to my office. Weird and wonderful. Happy Monday from Public Works. ❄️🦇
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@stpaulpublicw
@SaintPaulParks
WILL I PLOW YOUR STREET? Probably not, except as a back-up. Our drivers are 10x better than I am, & I obviously have other roles. But this gives me a new appreciation for their work & an ability to talk about it. I did pass the pre-trip inspection & “roadeo” tests however. 8/
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We had to pull 15% of our staff to address overnight snow on arterials, & sewer staff had to focus on opening storm drains from all the rain. We were using totally new routes, which slowed the start & took longer than we expected. 2/5
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We are bringing in extra staff to keep working over the weekend until we get residential streets & paths cleaned. I’m grateful for staff, some of which put in > 30 hours to get streets cleaned for Saint Paul.
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Sidenote
#2
: I never worried for my safety. There were four people on top, ventilation, portable air sensors, emergency airpacks, and we were all wearing harnesses. 11/
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The work was as hard & intense in every way as you could imagine. I think I’m in good shape & was exhausted after 90 minutes. It takes incredible stamina, coordination, strength, & teamwork. I could barely keep the wheelbarrow steady, & this was a normal day for them. 7/
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We are still asking people to move their cars from the south side of EW streets. Crews are better staffed & getting an earlier start. We are coaching drivers on improving impact. 4/5
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Thanks to
@MnDOTMetro
for taking care of the Cleveland Circle pavement. We appreciate the partnership w
@stpaulpublicw
in getting the work done quickly. It’s no longer an embarrassing and dangerous entrance to dt Saint Paul. This weekend there will be thousands of people dt!
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Your
@stpaulpublicw
Moment of Zen. What happens when our street sweepers come home & rest for the night? 1) They are hosed off & cleaned up. 2) They are parked & prepped for the next day of work. 3) A street sweeper cleans up what’s left from cleaning up the street sweepers! 1/2
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@sj_obc
@lankybutmacho
@pedalingprof
We acknowledge this is not ideal, but it is the best we could do in this difficult situation. Let me know if you have additional questions. And thanks again for patience. - Sean 7/7
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Why? I began the job knowing how important all the work is, but not knowing the details of how it happens. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can to support our workers, & to build public support for their work throughout the city. (I love all the work, so this isn’t a burden.) 2/
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@CheyCab
lol. No no no no no no no. I really appreciate the sentiment here, especially from you, but I genuinely 💛 my current job, & want to help achieve our big goals, & *genuinely* don't want that job. I'm sure this post will prompt a bunch of other reasons too lol.
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Yes:
@cityofsaintpaul
@stpaulpublicw
drivers are running on
@dunkindonuts
this morning. Thanks to the Snelling branch manager that made this possible.
#teamsaintplow
#moveyourcars
#noservicesdiscountsorproductswerereceivedinexchangeforthistweet
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We are excited to evolve this work from organized collection to a more accelerated waste reduction strategy.
@stpaulpublicw
being part of the solution will improve customer service, sustainability, and equity. We know how important these services and goals are to residents.
Hug your hauler goodbye, St. Paul. Citywide garbage negotiations begin this month with FCC Environmental, a big European vendor, as well as Eureka Recycling and Emerge, a North Minneapolis nonprofit mattress recycler that employs former inmates:
#stpaul
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Was so much fun to highlight the
@stpaulpublicw
team that does the work for snow operations. Thanks
@Ward4STP
for leading this initial conversation.
When you call/email St. Paul Public Works with 4-letter words about snow removal, these people absorb that anger and return politely-worded responses. You are entitled to your strong emotions, not destructive actions. See: “Good Will Hunting” and Dr. Phil. How are the roads, fam?
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Sidenote
#4
: The picture of us above ground is only half the team. The others were back in the tunnel. I look exhausted because I am exhausted. 13/
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Our drivers are some of the most adamant about minimizing salt use. Many fish, and know what it does to lakes/rivers. It’s also expensive. 9/
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@MinnesotaFan92
I apologize for this. The snow this winter has been extreme, but I live here and share the same driving/ped frustrations
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As I said, the comments from the six supporters on the Council were worth the wait. Here is the one from
@Ward4STP
ICYMI:
@mitrajunjalali
/
@Ward4STP
's speech to close the 5 hour hearing, approve the Summit Ave Trail on a 6-1 vote.
@abrendmoen
,
@christolbertstp
,
@RebeccaNoecker
,
@NelsieYang
, Balenger also in favor of this *very* common sense project. Prince opposed.
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@CheyCab
@cityofsaintpaul
@melvincarter3
@sppdmn
We haven't stopped towing! We've towed over 2500 cars this season. Towing is done by outside contractors & in a snow this big they will be spread thin throughout the metro. We will still ticket they will tow.
#teamsaintplow
❤️stp
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We are trying to be better at communicating about the rationale for our decisions at
@stpaulpublicw
. This isn't ideal, but I hope it's helpful. In retrospect, we could have said more earlier in our posts about this work. (Thread below.)
@sj_obc
@lankybutmacho
@pedalingprof
Sorry for the delay. A quick🧵.The fundamental issue we were addressing with this treatment on Summit was that the condition of the drive lanes on parts of Summit was so bad that it was an immediate danger for cyclists & a hazard for cars. 1/
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Hey
@dunkindonuts
on N Snelling: thanks for helping our
@stpaulpublicw
plow drivers refuel and run better! The manager, Jason, put a huge order together quickly.
#teamstplow
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Our drivers are amazing. This is an almost unprecedented amount of deep heavy snow.
#teamsaintplow
SNOW EMERGENCY PLOWING UPDATE: 1/5/23
Crews are still out plowing
@CityofSaintPaul
Day Plow Routes and working on them throughout the night.
Please help the plowing efforts, do not park in areas where streets are not plowed to the curb.
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Celebrate the day by checking out
#AydMillRide
Thanks to the political leadership that made this possible, & the incredible engineers & partners that did the work.
@MayorCarter
@abrendmoen
@mitrajunjalali
@janeprinceW7
@YangNelsie
@russellstark23
@stpaulpublicw
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@sj_obc
@lankybutmacho
@pedalingprof
This weekend I rode the sections in question on my bike, & the City Engineer did as well. We identified specific places in the bike lanes that need additional work to meet our goals here. 5/
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This is a great 🧵 on ❄️!
Please read, share, and, as
@melvincarter3
says, stay tuned..!
Last year’s historic winter made it icicle-clear: we need a new approach to snow. 🧵
(1/8)
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Separating the storm & sanitary systems kept sewage out of the Mississippi but meant that these solids settle to the bottom, build up over time, & reduce the flow. Certain parts of the system need regular manual maintenance. The sandrock tunnel under West 7th is one of them. 4/
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@sj_obc
@lankybutmacho
@pedalingprof
Cars were swerving into the bike lanes to avoid potholes, & there were rocks & often chunks of asphalt in the bike lane. 2/
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Snow emergency declared for St. Paul. Check out exactly where/when to park here:
#TeamSaintPlow
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What have I learned? First, it’s difficult. Studying to get the permit and learning everything that goes into the pre-trip exam is a lot. I didn’t know anything about trucks when I started this. I failed my first air brake certification test. 4/
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Please follow this thread and retweet.
#hotmix
@stpaulpublicw
Today the
@cityofsaintpaul
opens the asphalt plant to make hot mix that will patch up the potholes in our streets.
I’m in a truck with Mike from
@stpaulpublicw
to present to you what I’m calling
#HotChicksforHotMix
— follow along here
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Most of our sanitary sewers used to carry both stormwater & sewage – all to the Mississippi when we got a lot of rain. This extra volume helped clean out the ‘solids’. ‘Solids’ includes sand, organics, fecal matter, & everything else flushed down toilets & household drains. 3/
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Be cautious everywhere, but east-west streets with lots of trees tend to be more slick because of less sun.
@stpaulpublicw
has extra staff today for the work.
.
@seankershaw
said St. Paul brought in extra staff overnight to deal with refreeze. Sunday, he said the city will focus on bridges, arterials/collectors and hills.
"We urge caution everywhere," he said, but especially on east-west streets, which tend to get less sun.
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Honored to be in such great company.
#50over50
@PollenMidwest
@aarpmn
@WilderFdtn
@pahoua
#husbandnotontwitter
#grandoakopry
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In thigh-high rubber boots, two pairs of rubber gloves, a protective suit, harness, & hardhat, we were lowered into the tunnel via the manhole. In the 6’ sandrock/brick tunnel, we waded through about 18” of liquid & hand shoveled the solids into a modified wheelbarrow. 5/
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@80skidfromOK
@MinnesotaFan92
Plowing is really about parked cars, and suburbs are completely different than the two urban cities. They are 10x easier to plow. They have off-street parking, winter parking bans, wider streets, and no sidewalks. All of these make it's easier to plow in the suburbs.
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#nervoussmile
. But so excited. Thanks for this opportunity.
We're very excited to announce
@seankershaw
as our next Vice President of Wilder Center for Communities. Welcome, Sean!
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@stpaulpublicw
@SaintPaulParks
THE CURB: I’ve included a pic of the dashboard controls. From the driver’s side you can’t see the curb-side edge of the plow. You’re relying on instinct & ‘touch’...while operating a 26,000 lb truck with a weapon on the front, in rough winter conditions, with cars nearby. 6/
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Looking forward to the
@CitizensLeague
#civiccelebration
tonight! Grateful for the leadership of
@kcimino
and their amazing staff, board, and sponsors. (Love the socks!)
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@dhmontgomery
@Reddit
@stpaulpublicw
@eureka
Old roads, combined with the worst winter ever for streets, is an awful combo. Three major rainfalls followed by cold is a nightmare. Our
@stpaulpublicw
crews feel the stress and hate to not be able to solve these problems. We need more resources to reconstruct our roads.
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@DanMarStP
I talked to one of their leaders about this during the Council hearing. He said he didn’t think the roadbed needed to be replaced. I asked him to find any civil engineer that would support this. He said “that’s not my job that’s your job.” 😵💫
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