September 3: Dry Run Preparations

Good Afternoon,

I know it is only the first week of September, but winter preparations at WCRC are already underway. For example, we expect to take our first pre-fill of winter salt in a few weeks. In addition, this week, our board approved the annual Winter Maintenance Guidelines.

I’m sad to say it, but winter is coming and that means Dry Run is too.

Dry Run is our annual process of preparing people and equipment for winter, it involves everything from mounting snowplows to practicing snow routes. Each fall, it is an all-hands-on-deck effort in the operations department, especially for our mechanics and shop. Dry Run also impacts our engineering and administration departments as they wrap up summer construction projects and prepare for winter work.

Due to our current coronavirus safety protocols, Dry Run is going to look different this fall. Jim and the operations leadership team have been working hard to get a plan together. In general, Dry Run will be spread out over a longer period, focusing on individual vehicles instead of crew-by-crew, to comply with our coronavirus-related safety procedures. Jim and his leadership team plan to begin Dry Run checks and inspections with smaller groups in the next few weeks. Thank you in advance for all your hard work during Dry Run.

The goal is to still have everything and everyone ready to go by the end of October. Usually, Dry Run culminates with Pancake Breakfast in early-November – the official kick-off of WCRC’s winter. We are still thinking of how we could mark the occasion (maybe even with some pancakes) while complying with our COVID-related protocols. If you have ideas, let me know!

As always, I’m hoping for a relatively mild winter, but I know only time will tell what Mother Nature has in mind for us.

As we go into this long weekend, please take time to relax and enjoy the last few days of summer with family and friends.

Take care and stay safe,

Sheryl