Mike Winterbotham is one of Beavercreek’s 18 snowplow drivers. This will be his tenth year on the road for the city, keeping the streets clear.
Beavercreek’s public service division plows over 500 miles of roads.
Many of those roads may present challenges with narrow streets or cars parked to the sides, which is why the city holds trainings and refresher courses leading up to the winter season, according to Joey Shope, the public service superintendent for Beavercreek.
Winterbotham said snowplowing can be a tough job depending on the snow and ice. And the long hours are their own kind of work.
“When I first get in here, I'm kind of like, adrenaline is flowing,” Winterbotham said. “But then after you're here, eight or 10 hours, you’re like, I got to slow down and just relax because I'm going to be here for a while.”
Despite a national shortage of truck drivers with commercial drivers license (CDL) —Ohio being among the list of states in need of snowplow drivers— Shope said the city is fully staffed and even trained three new drivers.
“It's a challenge, we have a lot of miles to cover and a small dedicated team,” Shope said. “Right now we’re fully staffed and we’re lucky to have 18 street drivers.”
If need be, Shope added the city can pull in extra drivers from the city’s parks and maintenance division or the traffic safety division.
Officials are asking for drivers to please, be mindful of the snow plows, drive carefully and be patient when waiting for the city to plow residential streets.
