West Newsmagazine 11-15-17

36 I
November 15, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
MODOT, from page 11 vious comparatively mild winter, the salt ZIP LINES, from page 11
dome didn’t come close to emptying out.
Johnson and Steve Luden for a round-trip
on I-64 to the Research Park Circle turnaround
point. As with most all personnel
at the Ballas location, Johnson and Luden
are long-time MoDOT employees. Johnson
is going on 33 years of service while
Luden has nearly 10.
Except for training sessions, MoDOT
sends only one driver with each snowplow;
however, vehicles go out in pairs,
operating in tandem for more efficient
and effective coverage. Virtually all
the department’s vehicles are equipped
with automatic transmissions, no doubt
making life easier for the office personnel
who may drive them at most just a few
times each year.
The vehicle used for the test run had
a 12-foot plow controlled by a floormounted
stick between the driver and
passenger seats. A console on top of
another floor mount, just to the right of
the plow control, governed the operation
of a salt spreader on the back of the truck.
The salt bed was empty for the exercise
but could have been filled quickly with a
couple of multi-ton scoops from a frontend
loader. A 2,400-ton salt dome at the
Ballas location had been filled earlier this
year and was ready for use. During the pre-
This year for the first time, salt going
into the dome was mixed with a brine
solution and a corn-based liquid known
as Ice Ban ® . Among other things, Ice
Ban is touted as being environmentally
friendly and causing less corrosion.
While their years of experience have
provided a storehouse of observations and
fine points about winter weather, driving
conditions and efficiencies for covering
their assigned routes, Johnson and Luden
noted one point that might not be thought
about by a casual observer.
“The camaraderie that exists here is
amazing,” Luden said.
That spirit translates into a teamwork
effort and friendly rivalries between other
MoDOT locations and even between the
work shifts at the Ballas location, he added.
During major weather events, MoDOT
road crews work 12-hour shifts around the
clock until the emergency period is over.
Regardless of weather conditions, the
common denominator that constantly prevails
is safety, both men agreed. “Safety
is talked about around here all the time,”
Luden stated.
Johnson and Luden’s advice to all drivers
in bad weather is simple: “Slow down, be
patient and give us room to do our work.”
facility’s closure was discussed.
“We’ll definitely operate through this
ski season until we can sell the property
if we don’t get the zip line,” Boyd said.
“That was the key for us to have long-term
suitability for this property. We only get
to generate revenue three months out of
the year. The tooth fairy isn’t going to
keep this thing open. It’s got to be kept
open by sound economics.”
Additional discussion and a final vote
on the CUP request is scheduled for the
Nov. 20 P&Z meeting.
“The vote they’re proposing to come
up at the next meeting means absolutely
nothing to us because it doesn’t overcome
our objections to their conditions,” Boyd
said. “The one condition that they’re
dropping [placement of the zip lines] is
one we want dropped, but there are other
conditions that relate to our operating
days and hours that we’re simply not
going to accept. The vote is meaningless
to us.”
According to Boyd, one of the proposed
restrictions was to limit zip line usage to
the months of April through October.
“Under the conditions, they’re trying
to impose, we’d spend money on this
investment and wouldn’t be able to use
it,” Boyd said. “It was so warm last year
that people could have zipped all winter.”
Boyd bought the Wildwood Golf
Course in 1977 for $250,000. He then
converted it to a ski resort in 1982. The
facility currently has about 300 employees.
If the resort closes, Boyd said its green
space, current zoning and acreage could
accommodate over 80 homes. Some residents
believe a recreational attraction like
a zip line would be better than adding
more homes to the area.
“We much prefer the current use and
proposed use of zip lines rather than
another housing development,” resident
Doug Cross said. Cross has lived adjacent
to Hidden Valley Drive for over
25 years. “It’s a low-impact, high-value
idea.”
However, some negative feedback
included concerns about the zip lines
potential harm to surrounding wildlife,
adverse effects on local traffic and noise
levels.
“While the zip line doesn’t expand the
resort’s footprint literally, it does expand
the days of operation,” Radcliffe Place
resident Robin Vorel said at the Nov. 6
meeting. “This business would become a
year-round disturbance as opposed to only
operating in the winter months.”
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