Whether it’s this week’s anticipated snow or the next round behind it – hopefully well behind it – the time is approaching when the city and region will be buried beneath a blanket of heavy snow, roads will be blocked and travel will be perilous if not impossible.

It’s that time of year.

Minot’s administration made it clear earlier this week that they are ready for the impending weather. As of Monday, two graders had been equipped and readied with cutting edges, and leased machines were in the process of being prepared, according to City Manager Tom Barry. The Minot Public Works Department reported it has five sanders ready and access to eight blades, although not all will be equipped with gates. It has two side-delivery plow attachments for its front-end loaders that are equipped with gates.

Furthermore, the public can view the locations and progress of plowing at minotnd.org in the section for the Public Works Department by clicking on “streets” and “snow management.” The City of Minot deserves accolades for this innovation introduced in recent years.

Minot has a rational snow strategy. Snow plows begin on the 30 major snow route streets, moving to school areas and adjacent streets and eventually the residential areas during the day and central business district at night – again, progress can be monitored online.

In some recent winters, residents have complained about the pace of snow clearing, particularly on residential streets. Residents’ frustration is reasonable because of the inconvenience.

On the other hand, residents are also largely averse to additional public spending which would inevitably impact the budget.

What’s called for is understanding that the scope and complexity of the clean-up is largely dependent on weather conditions. Ongoing snow, rain and wind have a tremendous impact on the ability and time frame to clear all of the roads in the city.

Emotions have run high in the past when some felt their neighborhood was being neglected. As frustrating as it can be for some residents, that is still uncalled for. The time it takes to clean up after a significant snow event is based on resources and the degree of the event. Barry said this week that it takes 72 hours to completely clean up the city.

Minot Daily News recommends patience this week and in the wintery days ahead of us.