Frequently Asked Questions For Engineering and Public Works

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1 Frequently Asked Questions For Engineering and Public Works How do I report maintenance issues? If the issues are related to roads, sewers, signs, streetlights, traffic signals, snow removal you can contact Public Works at Issues related to water and hydro are to be directed to COLLUS and Collingwood Public Utilities at How do I report an emergency situation (sewer blockage, stop sign down, or traffic signal out) when Public Works is closed? During an emergency when the offices are closed you can call , and you will be directed to an answering service. The service will take the call and contact the necessary department. When will my street be swept? Collingwood Public Works begins sweeping in mid- April removing sand from boulevards on the Arterial and Collector roads within Town. Once Arterial and Collector roads are completed, local roads will follow. It is the intent that all streets will be swept once by May 15. When do I need an Entrance Permit? Do I need a permit to widen or pave my driveway? An Entrance Permit is needed when planning to do the any of the following work: Construct an unpaved entrance Construct a paved entrance Construct curbs, gutters or other permanent works related to an entrance Pave an existing entrance Add curbs, gutters or other permanent works to an existing entrance Change design of an existing driveway Change the location of an existing driveway Use an existing entrance for other than its original, present or normal use (change classification from residential to commercial etc.) Install a culvert on municipally controlled lands Construct a temporary entrance or use any part of the right-of-way of a Town road as a means of temporary access to and from a property. How do I report a Street Light /Traffic Light issue? Streetlight issues can be addressed by contacting the Public Works office at

2 Tree trimming Tree removal and Tree replacement program? Each year the Town of Collingwood completes a tree trimming program throughout Town to ensure dangerous limbs are removed. The Town contracts a professional tree trimming service to determine the areas that require the most immediate attention. If a tree is to be removed, Collingwood Public Works will only remove trees if they are on the Town s property, generally within the boulevard portion of the right of way. If you have a tree that is located within the right of way and needs to be removed, please contact the Public Works office at Once a request is made, a supervisor will make a site visit to determine if it is necessary that the tree be removed. If it is necessary that the tree be removed you will be contacted when it will take place. Once removed, the Town will ensure that the cleanup is complete and a new tree is planted. What is the status of the construction on my street? If the Town is undertaking construction on your street and you would like to be updated, please visit and weekly updates will be provided on all major capital projects. If there are any other construction projects not listed on the website, please phone to inquire. Who is in charge of Stormwater Management Pond Maintenance? The Town carries out the maintenance, once the pond has been assumed through the Development process. Routine maintenance includes removal of debris in and around the pond; removal of invasive vegetation; maintenance of structures (i.e. gates, locks, valves etc.), and maintenance of surrounding vegetation and plants. The vegetation planted around the pond is dense and appropriate for the area. Aggressive weed control operations, including the use of pesticides, are not required. Grass cutting is not recommended for the ponds in order to maintain a natural environment. The Town carries out maintenance of these ponds, including vegetation replacement. Non-routine maintenance includes bank stabilization, structure repairs, and removal of excess sediment. A clean-out of the SWMP will be required approximately once every 5-10 years to remove accumulated sediment to ensure the pond continues to function as intended. Drainage of the SWMP will be required to facilitate the clean-out. Part of this clean-out involves soil sampling and testing to ensure proper disposal of the sediment removed. Who do I speak to about garbage and recycling pickup? Garbage and recycling is administered by the County of Simcoe. Any questions related to garbage or recycling can be addressed by calling

3 Where do I get a blue box for recycling? Blue boxes are available at the County of Simcoe landfill site at 470 Tenth Line, Collingwood, Ontario or at the Engineering & Public Works Department located at 545 Tenth Line North, Collingwood. Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Saturday Hours: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. Does the Town pick up dead animals on the roadway? If the dead animal is non-domestic, you can contact the Public Works office at If the animal is domestic (either cat or dog) Animal Control services must be called at Who do I call for a sewer blockage? Contact the Public Works office at Which streets are the first to be plowed/sanded? The Municipality is divided into 6 routes. Each route is made up of streets categorized in priority order, with priority streets cleared first. Priority roads are arterial roads or secondary collector roads that carry the highest volumes of traffic. These roads are used to access business areas, fire and police and the hospital. Other roads are primarily residential, residential rural or secondary routes. These are systematically ploughed after the priority routes have been completed. Why does it seem to take a long time for other streets to be cleared of snow? Snowfalls or snowstorms that last many hours, and windy conditions or freezing rain that turns into snow pose unique challenges. In these conditions, priority streets may be plowed more than once before other local streets. Why are cul-de-sac streets cleared last? Due to varied shapes and sizes, cul-de-sacs pose a challenge to snowplow equipment. The roads are plowed to the cul-de-sac and then specialized equipment is brought in to remove the snow. Most cul-de-sacs are serviced after priority and other roads have been plowed. This process is time consuming and generally left until last to be fully cleared. The Municipality understands the frustration that can occur for affected residents. We continually review our process in an effort to reduce delays that occur in clearing snow in cul-de-sacs. What do I do if my street was missed by the plow? Although crews are very conscientious in following route schedules, sometimes streets may be missed due to an oversight. Please contact the administration office ( ) and crews will be notified and arrangements will be made to have the street cleared as soon as possible.

4 Who determines the plowing/sanding schedule? Weather conditions determine how quickly the streets can be cleared. Snow clearing schedules change due to winter weather systems and temperature variances. Staff must assess several variables and quality standards for clearing snow when determining schedules. Everyone's safety is considered. How long does snow clearance usually take? Most routes are completed within the quality standard depending on the type of storm. Clearance time may be longer when snowfalls are heavy, there are complications due to freezing rain, many cars are parked on the street, or crews are clearing snow during peak traffic times. In accordance with Ministry of Labour regulations, drivers cannot work for more than 13 hours without a rest period. This can sometimes impact on snow clearance time. Why does the plow operator fill in my driveway? Can you come and clean it out? The Town makes every attempt to minimize the amount of snow plowed into the driveways during its snow plowing operations; however it does not clear private driveways. Why can't I shovel the snow back on the street - the snow came from the street? The snow plow works by pushing all the snow off the road to the right of the direction of travel. Snow plows have to travel in the same direction as other drivers on your street. Shoveling the snow back on to the street defeats the purpose of plowing the roads. The Town has an obligation to provide a safe passable street under the Municipal Act. In addition, it is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act to deposit snow or ice on the roadway. My driveway was filled in by the snow plow right after I shovelled it out. What can be done about this? It is important to note that our plow operators do not intentionally block driveways. Due to the difficulty of removing large amounts of snow, many people find it easier to clear the snow before it becomes too heavy. Often this is before the storm has ended and while snowplowing operations are still underway. Please understand that until roads are completely cleared, it should be anticipated that you might have to clear your driveway several times during and after storm events. I live on a corner lot and when the snow plow turns the corner, excessive amounts of snow seem to accumulate on my driveway. Why can't the operator prevent this from happening? In order to completely clear an intersection the plow must make two passes. First, swing wide into the intersection to reach the centre area then to return to push snow back to the curb line. Also, speed is reduced and snow is placed at the curb line and is not spread over a wider swath in the boulevard.

5 My street is slippery, what are the sanding priorities? When the streets become slippery due to snowfall or simply cold, moist weather, the Town s streets are sanded by the following priority ranking: Highways and Arterial Roads such as Highway 26, Hwy 124, Mountain Road Bus Routes and other collector routes, and Town owned parking lots Major intersections and inclines in residential areas This ranking reflects the speed and traffic levels, and therefore the degree of risk involved in each roadway category. Why is salt and sand used? Salt use is kept to a minimum. It is spread only on main roads and occurs at the beginning of a snowfall's melting point. The mixture used on the local streets is usually 4%. On priority streets 100% salt is applied. Salt reducing measures are implemented as appropriate. Our goal is to be proactive in the area while recognizing the safety of Municipal streets during slippery conditions. When will the sidewalk be sanded/plowed? What are our priority sidewalks? Similar to snow maintenance on the roads, the Town is divided into 4 routes with Arterial and Collector roads completed first. Priority sidewalks include sidewalks around schools, medical facilities, community safety zones, and business areas. How do I report sod or boulevard damage caused by the snow plow or sidewalk plow? If there is damage to your sod or boulevard during the winter months from maintenance, please call the Public Works office at to report the issue. Public works repairs damaged sod or boulevard damage in the spring and summer months. Where can I learn about rules and regulations on drainage? The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs provide a Fact Sheet on Drainage law. It can be accessed from the following link: Stop Sign Requests Requests relating to stop signs are the most common calls we receive. All-way stops are the most common request. Warrants are used to determine if an all-way stop is required at an intersection. Please note that a stop sign isn t installed to reduce speeding, and may in fact have the opposite effect. Stop signs are designed to assign the right-of-way at an intersection.