TOWN OF BARRE, VT

FREE WINTER SAND

USE POLICY

Purpose of Policy:

Barre Town traditionally has allowed Town residents to take winter sand for use on their driveways or sidewalks.  Growing use and misuse of the Town’s sand has prompted questions about the Department of Public Work’s responsibilities for providing sand and about who may help themselves to sand and how much.  For the benefit of Town residents, who most need the service, and secondarily to give the DPW a clear standard, the Selectboard adopts this policy.

POLICY

Purpose of Service:

To help improve the safety of Town residents, the Barre Town DPW shall make winter sand available free to Town residents for use on their home driveway or sidewalk.

Conditions:

The DPW shall make sand available outside the DPW yard gate from approximately November 15 to April 1.  The public shall not enter the DPW yard without authorization and shall not help themselves to sand or salt from the DPW sand or salt storage buildings.

The DPW’s main mission is maintaining Town highways.  Therefore, the DPW cannot be expected to keep a pile of sand available during a snow or ice storm.

Residents’ demand for sand is greatest when the DPW is needed for winter road maintenance. The DPW has less time to supply sand when it might be consumed fastest.  Residents taking pickup truck loads of sand rapidly deplete the supply of sand, denying others an opportunity to obtain sand.  Consequently, residents will be limited to a reasonable amount of sand per trip.

Residents do not have a regular need for sanding walks and driveways and, typically, the volume of sand needed for their walks and driveway does not warrant contracting for sanding services.  Businesses, on the other hand, need to plan for icing and slippery conditions.  Businesses are more likely to have large parking lots that justify contracting for sanding service.  Winter maintenance contractors have sources for winter sand.  Therefore, the free winter sand offered by the Town is only for residents and only for use at their homes.

The conditions of this Policy shall be posted at the sand pile.  Everyone is expected to comply with the conditions.  All Town employees are authorized to ask violators to leave or to limit their use of sand.  When violators do not respect the direction from non-police employees, the Barre Town Police Department may be called to ask violators to leave.

Approved by Selectboard:   November 6, 2001