Village of Orland Park Public Works Shares Top Ten Snow List

ORLAND PARK, IL - With the season’s first snowfall having arrived in Orland Park, the village’s Public Works Department is sharing its annual list of snow related reminders.

“We share our ‘top ten list’ of snow reminders each year and appreciate residents’ cooperation as the village crews work to keep village streets safe and accessible,” said Orland Park Director of Infrastructure Maintenance John Ingram.

Parking is prohibited on village streets once two inches of snow have fallen. Parked vehicles must be kept off the streets for 10 hours after a snow event, giving village crews time to clear the thoroughfares. And, residents are reminded to not push shoveled snow into street, instead placing it on side lawns.

“The biggest hindrance our drivers face is parked cars on residential streets,” Ingram said. “When residents know it’s going to snow, we ask that they be sure to move all parked vehicles so the plows can clear the entire street,” he said.

Shoveling homeowners are asked to not shovel or blow the wind row or other snow at the end of the driveway back into the street.

“When clearing their driveways, residents should push the snow onto the parkway or onto their lawns,” Ingram said. “When people push the snow back into the street, it becomes packed and freezes, creating an unnecessary hazard within a residential area,” he said.

Each year, the Orland Park Public Works Department releases its Top Ten List of Snow Tips for village residents.

“We’ve compiled our own top ten list to let Orland Park residents know what they can do to help us when it snows,” Ingram said.

“The most important thing we ask is that residents be patient. All of the streets in the village will be cleared in as short a time as possible, as the storm allows,” the director added.

Orland Park’s snow removal crews plow and salt more than 250 miles of roads throughout the village. The fleet includes 23 village owned trucks plowing and salting pre-designated routes. Private contractors are used to plow when more than two to three inches of snow fall. Staff from the village’s Parks Department plow and shovel village owned properties and provide back-up for Public Works crews.

An integral part of combating a snowstorm is street salting. In Orland Park, first priority is given to the main streets, those with heaviest year round traffic, followed by secondary thoroughfares and cul-de-sacs. Orland Park is able to
store more than 4000 tons of salt under a protective cover throughout the year.

ORLAND PARK’S TOP TEN SNOW TIPS

1. Village ordinance prohibits parking on village streets once two inches of snow have fallen.

2. Parked vehicles must be kept off of the streets for 10 hours after it has stopped snowing.

3. When clearing the driveway, residents should place snow on either side of the driveway---on the lawn---and never in the street.

4. Residents should keep garbage cans and recycle bins from rolling into the street on garbage pick up day.

5. Designate curbs with five free stakes available from the Public Works Department, 15600 South Ravinia Avenue.

6. Digging from the street, clear out hydrants so that fire personnel can easily access them if necessary.

7. Do not clear your driveway at the curbline until the snowplow driver has made his last curb pass in front of your residence.

8. Be patient. Every storm is different with many variables. Streets may have to be plowed more than once.

9. Communicate with the Public Works Department. Report any ice formations on the street so that they can be salted. Clear the snow from storm sewers in front of your home so melting snow can easily drain, preventing ice patches.

10. Mailboxes should be kept in good repair and be placed at least one foot behind the curb to avoid damage. It is the residents’ responsibility to clear a safe path around mailboxes to ensure delivery. Homeowners’ associations are responsible for clearing the area around cluster mailboxes.

“The village’s crews take great pride in their work. These village employees work to make the streets as safe as possible for the motoring public,” Ingram said.

Further information about Orland Park’s Snow Removal Program is available by calling the village’s Public Works Department at 708/403-6350.