Tracy Hodel

The lack of snow and rain this winter has put Central Minnesota in an unusual situation in March. St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel joined me on WJON. She explains typically March-May is when they see the highest flow/production from the Mississippi River but right now they are at 20% below average for this time of year.

Last winter was a record setting winter for snow and a difficult spring for hot holes in the City of St. Cloud. St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel indicated last winter they had a lot of overtime costs and pretreatment chemical costs.

The recently completed Cooper Avenue South project from Roosevelt Road to Traverse Road included a roadway reconstruct, curb, gutter and sidewalk. It also includes freshly painted blue fire hydrants.

The drought in Central Minnesota has added stress to our lawns. St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel indicates there are better times of day than others to water lawns. She says you don't want to be watering lawns in the middle of the day during the warmest part of the day due to evaporation.

The City of St. Cloud has been working on filling pot holes this week. That according to St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel. She says they've been using a combination of cold mix and heated up mix to fill these pot holes the best they can. Hodel acknowledges these patches aren't likely to hold for long due to the freeze, thaw cycle, we're in.

Two large snow events in December, one in January, this week's snow event and a few smaller ones scattered throughout the winter have consequences for the St. Cloud Public Works department budget. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel joined me on WJON.

It's been a busy week for snow plow operators and the St. Cloud Public Works department. St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis joined me on WJON.

The piles of snow at the end of St. Cloud driveways and snow piled up along curbs has additional consequences for St. Cloud residents. The heavy snow totals leave less area to place garbage and recycling at the end of our driveways.

A snowy December has bled into a snowy January. An average winter in St. Cloud for snowfall is 42.5 inches and St. Cloud is already has 41.5 inches. Tracy Hodel is the Public Service Director for the City of St. Cloud.

St. Cloud is not experiencing the drought like conditions this year we did last year. That means there are no restrictions on watering or water use. Tracy Hodel is the Public Works Director for the city of St. Cloud. She says it is optimal for people to water their lawns when the sun isn't out to avoid evaporation.

The city of St. Cloud is working on a sewer system upgrade on the southeast side of St. Cloud. Tracy Hodel is the Public Works Director for the City of St. Cloud. She says the work is being done on 9th Avenue Southeast and Minnesota Boulevard Southeast.

The heavy rains in May has had numerous impacts on the St. Cloud water supply. Tracy Hodel is the Public Works Director for the city of St. Cloud. She says the impacts of the rainy May impacted all aspects of what they do with water in the community.