‘All hands on deck’: Week of heavy snow brings plenty of work for Bend Park and Rec crews to clear paths and trails

(Update: Adding video and comment from Park and Rec official, visitors)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The recent heavy snowfall that brought close to a foot in places, or even more across the High Desert brings challenges for just about everyone in the public or private sector, property owner or renter, to keep up and keep things cleared.

Keeping one's driveway or sidewalk clear can be a challenge when the snow won't stop and the temperatures stay near zero for days.

Now imagine you oversee 84 parks and open spaces, 75 miles of trails and more than 3,000 acres of developed and undeveloped land.

Matthew Draxton spoke Tuesday with someone in just that position: Sasha Sulia, the superintendent of park operations for the Bend Park and Recreation District.

Describing what maintenance looked like during the storms, Sulia said, "It was all hands on deck. Our crews were all out working the cold temps, and the continuation of snow was definitely challenging -- just for safety-wise too, to make sure people weren't getting cold."

Asked about the conditions, park visitors and local residents Mark and Jennifer Erwing said they'd had a positive experience: "No chemicals," Mark said.

"We haven't slipped once," Jennifer said.

"Yeah, no slipping," Mark added. "They’ve done really well!”

Priority areas for the maintenance staff start with recreation facilities and parking lots, then it's on to sidewalks, walkways and trails.

"We worked really hard to make sure those priorities, those parking lots were cleared in those commuter trails," Sulia said. "But then just after a while, had to wait until it was done snowing and really get in and clear everything else out.”

Despite crews working diligently and safely to remove snow from pathways, walkways and parking lots at parks, the freezing temperatures did cause some delays, due to equipment malfunctions.

They do stress that if you do come across any snow that has been unattended or unmaintained, just wait patiently, as they are making their rounds.

Sulia offered advice to residents on what outdoor gear to wear during park visits: "Make sure you're wearing appropriate clothing and to wear knowing that it might not be cleared when you get out there."

Susanne Frilot said it was probably the second time she'd walked at Riverbend Park and "they were doing pretty darn good," though she was wearing her Yak Traks for more sure-footed walking in such weather.

Bend Park and Rec does not work 24/7, like some highway crews, but throughout the day to clear parks, paths and parking lots. In parking lots, cinder rocks are laid down, but the department never uses chemicals like de-icer.

Bend Parks and Rec makes many residents happy with being able to access the outdoors, sometimes in safer fashion than on the neighborhood streets they use to get there. Mark Erwing said, "It's a lot more reliable than the neighborhoods that you live in. So we came down here just to do a nice good three-mile without any snow in our on our path. I think this is great."

The crews of the park district do clear some trails, but not native areas -- that way, if visitors want to snowshoe or cross-country ski, they can head to the un-groomed areas of the park.