Acting Director of Public Works, Mark Roetzer, said the lack of colder days means there has been a lot less potholes to be found in the roads.

“If you drive around the city you will see our roads are in very good shape,” Roetzer said. “Without as big of a freeze there is less damage to the roads.”

Besides just potholes, a warmer winter can change a lot of what the Department of Public Works does during the season. Less salting and plowing is also needed, and Roetzer added that timelines for upcoming projects can be moved around.

“A mild winter allows for us to start working on other projects early,” Roetzer said. “We actually already had a project that we started in February. It allows us to move the timeline for the summer up.”

Main roads in Jamestown have fewer pot holes than at a similar time in previous years, but some side streets, like Haywood Street, still have noticeable holes to be patched. P-J photo by John Whittaker

Even though the winter has been warmer, Roetzer said the department is still doing what needs to be done when the need arises. Snow plows and other needed crews are still available for what winter weather may yet remain.

“Even though the winter has been mild, we still have crews available 24/7 for events like we had over the weekend and there was some snow,” Roetzer said. “We still have salt trucks and plows available when needed. There are still people answering the phones.”

Winter weather is expected throughout the rest of the week.