By now, Lexington residents are all-too-familiar with the particular combination of ice, snow, and prolonged freezing temperatures that kept the city largely locked in place for weeks. It was a cocktail of cold ingredients that caught emergency workers expecting a snow-heavy event off-guard.
"I think the city is admitting that this is probably the new normal for Lexington," says Richard Young with CivicLex.
Initial reviews suggest internal confusion regarding plowing, with some plow drivers running their entire routes and others covering rank 1 and 2 streets repeatedly. Also, contractors had equipment issues during the single digit days.
"It was very challenging for residents to understand when their street was being plowed."Richard Young, CivicLex
In addition to planning for more combination ice and snow events, Young says the city is also rethinking its GPS system.
"The city has sort of built its own homegrown version of a GPS tracking system that has lost signal and connectivity, and so it was very challenging for residents to understand when their street was being plowed. And so they're potentially looking at a new GPS system," Young adds.
Other potential fixes: broader education regarding street rankings and acquiring new chemicals that work better in lower temperatures.
It's not clear yet whether the recommendations coming out of this storm will be ready in time to be factored into this year's budgeting process.