After a breakdown in the snow removal plan following a Dec. 11 storm left downtown sidewalks dangerous during a busy holiday shopping period, the Downtown Coordinating Committee raised concerns Thursday about maintaining safer conditions.
Small businesses in the State Street and Capitol area often rely on holiday shopping to maintain profits during the slower winter months, Business Improvement District Executive Director Mary Carbine said.
Carbine said after the December snowstorm, BID received numerous complaints about the sidewalks from businesses and customers.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the incident was a “catastrophic failure” and happened at the worst time for merchants. He added the city experienced a large breakdown in the level of service that residents have been accustomed to.
The Madison Parks Division has handled snow removal for the core downtown area sidewalks dating back to the early 1980s, Verveer said.
While Verveer and Carbine expressed their concerns with December snowstorm, they both said they have faith the city’s park division will not allow poor service again based on past successes and last month’s wake-up call.
“I appreciate that the parks division has acknowledged errors were made during the catastrophe that occurred last December. [The event] was an anomaly for me because I’m not used to the amount of complaints I heard last month,” Verveer said.
Madison Parks Superintendent Kevin Briski said the snowstorm’s maintenance was unacceptable, and the parks division took to heart the concerns of local businesses.
Sandy Torkildson, owner of A Room of One’s Own on West Johnson Street, said the storm impacted businesses from a monetary standpoint but also impacted customers because many people slipped and fell.
“Going downtown is an experience – you park, you eat, you shop – and that was destroyed because it was so hard and treacherous to get around,” Torkildson said.
Briski said the usual snow removal plan, while effective, broke down during the early December snowstorm because of personnel issues.
“We’re not immune to making mistakes, but the maintenance slide was unacceptable. We failed because customer service is part of our mantra, and we take pride in maintaining Madison’s special downtown area,” Briski said.
The staff was left short-handed after four employees took leave because of vacations and illness, Briski said. He added the parks division carries other responsibilities across the city, including clearing parks, bike trails and pedestrian walks.
Although Briski called in reserve employees to help finish clearing the walkways, he said for future storms, the division will prioritize employees to address the most pressing concerns in a more timely matter.
Carbine provided various suggestions to improve communications between local business and the parks division. She recommended sending reminders of what the snow removal entails to alleviate some of the business owners’ confusion.
Briski said the division plans to add a full time employee to help enhance their service. He added the division also plans to create more cut-ins at cross walks, clean out bike racks better and clear off bench areas for pedestrians.
