City street crew came through for citizens

An extreme thank you is appropriate for the hardy souls on the Public Works street division for their dedication and fantastic job of removing the snow and ice from Sikeston city streets.

Let's face it - this winter has been somewhat exceptional on the weather front for our region. We did not experience the extended electrical outage that we faced just a few short years ago. But the snowfall and ice combined to close schools and businesses and brought much of our community and region to a standstill.

When Wednesday rolled around this past week, everyone knew we were in for a humdinger.

But as most of us went to bed Wednesday night and into the early morning hours of Thursday morning, the street crew here in Sikeston was hard at work.

And when the sun arose Thursday morning, most of the major thoroughfares in Sikeston were cleared. Those who had no choice but to venture out in this mess were able to make their way thanks to the long hours of work by the city crews.

Like most other activities, to be successful our city crews needed three elements - adequate equipment, extensive training and dedication.

Without reservation, the city came through in flying colors and what well could have been a dangerous issue for our streets became a success story.

Granted, there will still be those who complain that their particular street was not cleaned. But the major streets that carry us to our businesses, our stores and our medical facilities were cleared.

It's difficult for any community to address the ravages of mother nature, especially in a region such as ours where these major winter storms are fairly uncommon.

But city leaders recognized the potential far in advance and made plans accordingly.

The clean streets and access to our vital city services speaks volumes for those on the front line.

We speak often and loud about the need for Public Safety funding and training. Yet in times such as we have faced over the past three weeks, it's the city street personnel who take center stage.

We're proud of the tireless efforts and sound leadership that carried us through the past three weeks.

And you should be proud as well.