Blizzard 2013 Update
We survived the first major winter storm in the past two years
without any major issues of note. The
Street Department did an outstanding job, given the conditions, removing snow
and keeping our streets open. Ed and his
entire staff are now working on the enormous amount of cleanup that must take
place after the initial plowing has concluded.
Staff is currently clearing snow from parking lots, the square, and side
streets. Crews are working diligently to keep any inconveniences to a minimum for
citizens and businesses. Next week, after the holiday, we will haul the snow
off some of the wider streets like Clinton, Boston, Howard etc. were the
sidewalks are close to the street and the snow is either on the sidewalk or in
the parking area. In addition, the Police Department did a great job in
providing advanced notice of the snow ordinance and getting cars off the
streets so plows could remove snow efficiently and safely. Because we are fortunate enough to have
experienced officers that have been through enough winter storms, we noticed
minimal disruptions during the storm. In
total, only 17 vehicles were cited and only 4 vehicles had to be towed. The
combination of the early warning and proactive efforts of the IPD with regards
to the snow ordinance, we were able to keep everyone safe and allow crews to
remove the snow from our streets without major incident.
Fire/EMS Calls Hit New Record in 2013
2012 will bring a new record for calls for service at the
IFD. The previous record was 1732 and as
of today (December 21st) we are at 1831. Most of the increase
occurred with the number of EMS calls, but our fire calls were up slightly
also. Thankfully, the new record was not
inflated due to calls related to the recent winter storm. The ambulance ran all
night long, but it was for medical calls only. Fortunately, we did not respond
to any accidents as motorist seemed to be driving slow enough to avoid injury
causing crashes.
Firefighter Position Open
With
the departure of one or our Firefighter/EMT staff members, the City of
Indianola is taking applications for a Full Time Firefighter until December 28th.
This is a civil service position and as such subject to civil service testing
in addition to a formal interview process.
Chief Brian Seymour and HR Director RoxAnne Hunerdosse will be working
with the Indianola Civil Service Commission to fill the position as soon as
possible. Commission members assisting
with the hire are Fred Jones, Wayne Peterson and Celeste Gebhart. Those interested should contact the City
immediately regarding this opening with the Indianola Fire Department.
Upcoming Library Events
The Library staff is
busy planning for the Adult Winter Reading program which begins right after the
New Year. In addition, we are planning to celebrate “Take Your Child to the
Library” Day on February 2nd with story times, activities, and other
events for children and their parents. Please visit the staff at the Indianola
Library to learn more about the many events and activities happening in 2013.
