ST. LOUIS – Emergency contracts have been approved to pay local contractors to assist with the city’s efforts to treat road conditions after the heavy snowfall on the City of St. Louis last week.
The funds are coming from the comptroller’s professional services fund.
The current contracts are with Kings Auto Repair and AJM Snow Removal. They are actively treating the roads, along with Street Dept. plow trucks and additional city fleet vehicles from Parks and Forestry.
In a letter to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Thursday, City Comptroller Darlene Green requested the mayor hire contractors to help clear streets of snow and ice before the next freeze.
During a meeting with members of the Clergy Coaltion Thursday morning, Green said she was met with questions about the icy streets. Green said hiring contractors would speed up efforts to de-ice the streets and take advantage of the more moderate temperatures.
Green said her office would approve emergency funding to make this happen if the mayor declares an emergency.
Outreach to additional contractors is ongoing as needs are assessed.
The City of St. Louis has historically avoided plowing residential side streets due to concerns over damage to parked cars. The city has now started using smaller vehicles to salt some of those streets.
“While historically the City of St. Louis has not treated residential streets, I want to acknowledge that we have heard residents loud and clear that they would like to see the policy changed on how we handle this type of precipitation on residential streets going forward,” City spokesperson Conner Kerrigan said.
“This was an atypical storm, and we know it took us too long to move away from the typical response. We responded using the tools the city has always used, but this storm and its aftermath has demanded a more robust response going forward.”
The mayor’s office is working with Alderman Shane Cohn to update city ordinances that reflect the changes residents want to see in how the city addresses winter weather and our streets.
Please find a folder with photos and videos of City fleet vehicles treating roads here.