Plowing through the storms

The sun broke through the storm clouds Tuesday afternoon just as Carson resident Tom Strekal was finishing his recollection of the weekend's storms.

"We live here for a reason," he said. "The weather happens. But through it all, you have to keep a sunny disposition."

Cue the sun - for a moment.

As Strekal, a 25-year-resident, shaded his eyes from the giant yellow thing in the sky making a 30-second cameo, he gestured toward the neighbors of his historic district home on Caroline Street.

"I think people who've lived in this neighborhood a long time - and there are several - know what to expect," he said. "The storm may have caught a few new people off-guard, but they learn how to deal with it pretty quick.

"Overall, I thought the city did a good job plowing the roads - especially since we're in a time of cutbacks and this was the first major storm. Yep, nothing to complain about here."

Indeed, Carson City and Nevada Department of Transportation officials said so far so good even though road crews are not in post-storm recovery mode yet.

"We've been working around-the-clock," NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder said Tuesday afternoon as frozen rain began to pelt the valley floor. "It's been steady 12-hour shifts.

"We had a little break Tuesday morning. But it looks like we're starting up again. Basically we've had every available person and piece of equipment working."

Magruder said the lion's share of the work has been done on Spooner Summit, where plows and front-end loaders cleared snow from the summit highway for four days straight without a reprieve.

NDOT also is in charge of clearing Carson Street/Highway 395 through downtown, which Magruder admitted can be a "problem spot" during heavy storms.

"The problem is, you can't (pile snow) on the sidewalk - so you have to put it in the center and then come back with front-end loaders and clear it up. The main goal is to keep the main lines open and the traffic moving."

This happened, for the most part, downtown resident Strekal said.

"I haven't had any problems," he said. "You just have to follow what they say about using extra caution."

Independent snow plow contractor Mike Baxter was busy Tuesday afternoon between storms plowing around Second and Minnesota streets with his dog riding shotgun in his old Chevy pickup.

"Well, I'm contracted to do the area in front of the Brewery Arts Center and Valley Realty," he said. "And, as you can see - people get pretty confused when an inch of snow hits the ground."

Baxter gestured down Minnesota toward a blue SUV parked in the middle of the street where no snow piled near the sidewalk could touch its tires.

"You just have to kind of laugh at something like that," he said. "I mean, this (winter) so far seems more like normal - more like it used to be.

"But, you get a lot of people moving to the area who aren't used to weather - who are used to it being warm and dry in Carson. So, you can kind of understand where they're coming from."

While Carson City had its plows active on the side streets, Baxter speculated that cut-backs have, in fact, reduced plow service.

"It's four days after the storm (started)," he said. "You know - they're dealing with limited resources and they do what they can - so you have to be understanding. But I've plowed most of this area. I guess I just do my part."

Magruder said their crews are standing by for storms that will reportedly continue through Thursday.

"The next one is coming and we're ready for it," he said.

• Contact reporter Andrew Pridgen at apridgen@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.