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OUR APPROACH TO SNOW REMOVAL BE COUNTED IN 2010 T he City's snow removal plan is based on past experi- ence and allotted resources. The City's budget for dealing with snow storms is approximately $135,000 annu- ally. The City generally has six to seven employees working alternating 12 - hour shifts during a storm event, until all streets are passable. The City also uses deicing agents on high traffic volume streets, intersections, and safety areas such as steep hills and school zones. The resources devoted to snow plowing are balanced against the other services residents' desire. Some people's first priority is to have all the streets plowed while some want to see trails cleared as soon as possible, even while snow storms are underway. Therefore you may see trails being cleared while some streets are not yet plowed. During the most severe snow storms resources usually assigned to sidewalk and trail work are reassigned to work on streets. Our goal is to make streets passable, not totally clear them of snow. With that in mind, if local streets are passable and plowing the street will make it worse, or it will merely push snow into driveways that people have already shoveled clear, our crews will leave them alone. There is nothing worse than having to shovel clear your driveway twice in one day because a snowplow filled in all your hard work. Once arterial and collector streets are passable we move on to local streets and cul de sacs. Often times local streets and cul de sacs are passable by the time our crews can get to them, so as not to make it worse, we may leave them alone. The City's complete guidelines for snow removal are available at www.LouisvilleCo.gov. Questions regarding snow removal may be directed to the Operations Division at 303.335.4750. HELP IMPROVE US 36 T he Colorado Department of Transportation submit- ted an application for the US 36 corridor to receive funds available through the US Department of Transporta- tion's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program. The application requests $100 -$200 million to help build multi -modal transportation improvements along US 36. If approved, this will provide for significant construction im- provements a decade ahead of what is currently planned. The grant competion is extremely competitive. We need your help to make the US 36 application stand apart. Please contact the key dignitaries listed on the Help Us Fix US 36 website at www.36commutingsolutions.org and urge them to support the US 36 TIGER Grant application. Thank you for your help in advocating for sustainable transportation investments to US 36. WHY THE CENSUS MATTERS - MONEY Approximately $300 billion in federal dollars are distributed annually based on census results. In order to ensure that Col- orado gets its fair share of these resources for UNITED STATES CENSUS schools, roads, medical facilities, and the like, we must ALL participate in the 2010 Census. Billions of dollars in funds are at stake — an 10 incomplete count could mean our community misses out. WHY THE CENSUS MATTERS - POWER The decennial census is used not only to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but census data are used to define legislative districts, school districts, and other local areas of government. WHY THE CENSUS MATTERS - INTELLIGENCE Census data are used to inform community decisions. It is like a snapshot that helps define us as a community. Data are crucial to many planning decisions, such as: where to provide services for the elderly • where to build new roads and schools • where to locate job training centers, community centers and other service facilities MAKING LOUISVILLE "IDLE FREE" WHY IS CAR IDLING A PROBLEM? Excessive idling can damage engine com- ponents, including the vehicle's cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust system. Emissions from idling cars form greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, which result in poor air quality and smog. Poor air quality can have adverse effects on respiratory health and can aggravate preexisting conditions for individuals with a poor respiratory system. MYTHS & FACTS ABOUT IDLING Fact: A large truck uses a half - gallon of fuel for each hour of idling and adds 40 miles of engine wear and tear to the vehicle. Myth: It uses more fuel to stop and start your vehicle. Fact: 10 seconds of idling uses the same amount of fuel as stopping and starting. Myth: My vehicle needs to warm -up for 10 minutes or more before I can drive it. Fact: With the current automobile technology, warming up a car is no longer necessary, regardless of the temperature outside. Myth: It is harder on my vehicle to stop and start all the time. Fact: Restarting has little impact on parts like the battery and starter. You will save more money conserving your fuel than restoring the slight wear on parts by restarting. Winter 2009 - 2010 6