The Kansas Chapter of the American Public Works Association held its Snow Roadeo Competition and Training event last month at Milford State Park, and City of Salina employees placed in two of the three individual events: motor grader, front loader and 2-man snowplow.

The event, which is designed to test the skills and knowledge of all snowplow and equipment operators, can help identify an individual operator’s strengths and weaknesses, knowledge of applicable laws, general knowledge of sanding/salting procedures, and an operator’s knowledge of equipment maintenance and safety.

Results of the competition are as follows:

• John Berry, who works in Traffic Control, placed first in the front loader competition out of 41 entrants statewide.
• Berry and Kirk Cibolski, who work in Traffic Control, placed first in the 2-man snowplow competition out of 25 teams statewide.
• Chris Watson, who works in Flood Control, and Jerry Wiesendanger, who works in Streets, placed second in the 2-man snowplow competition.

As a result of their success, the employees will participate in the 36th Annual APWA Western Snow & Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo, which will be held Sept. 28-30 in Loveland, Colorado. Jim Teutsch, Operations Manager for General Services, states “This achievement helps confirm what we’ve been trying to share with the public for a number of years about our employees. I am proud and grateful for having the opportunity to work with such outstanding individuals.”

The National Snow Roadeo will feature the best operators who will go head to head to prove who is the best. This competitive event is a fun way to test skills and prepare personnel for the upcoming winter season.

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Story from Rachel Hinde / City of Salina