CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The City of Charleston’s Public Works Department is getting ahead of the game before winter kicks in and making sure their snow removal equipment is in proper working condition.
They held their annual “Salt Parade” on Thursday, an event that allows them to test the equipment and perform dry runs of the routes.
Charleston Public Works Director Brent Webster said it’s crucial to prepare their fleet of 17 snow plow trucks for even the possibility of snow and ice. 
“So we bring all of our vehicles in, run them through our mechanic bays, troubleshoot our plows, our spreaders, our lighting, and try to get in front of that, try to identify some issues now so we can get those fixed before we start seeing regular snow,” Webster said.
Webster said they utilize all 15 of their large trucks as well as two small ones for the more narrow roads.
He said they’re making notes on every vehicle as some may not have any issues, while others may have several after being out of commission for a good portion of the year already.
Webster said public safety is their number one priority, and having good working equipment for the winter months ahead goes along with that.
“If we can be preventative and get things accomplished before the snow, then it will make our lives a lot easier,” he said. “The last thing we want to do during a snow event is have a vehicle down unnecessarily and risk a certain route not being treated, and that’s a delay for the citizens, that’s a delay for emergency vehicles, even our own people.”
Webster said snow and ice removal is a huge operation in a city as large as Charleston.
He said their primary focus is always routes and parking lots to schools and hospitals, as well as taking care of major thoroughfares, and of course, all of the hills throughout the city. However, he said there are some areas of the city that are flat that they don’t have to treat.
Webster said in addition, they have a partnership with the West Virginia Department of Highways who treats the state routes through Charleston, so the city doesn’t have to worry about those either.
Regardless, Webster said they always hope each winter won’t get too chaotic for them, such as the case last winter.
“You know, if I recall, we didn’t see anything, we didn’t have any call outs until after the new year, which it’s always good to get through the holidays, and I think we had that second week of January which was pretty busy, so yeah, for our purposes, it was probably mild, and we like mild,” said Webster.
In conjunction with the “Salt Parade” event, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin is inviting local students to help name the city’s snowplows this year.
“We are excited to launch Charleston’s inaugural ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest designed to shine a spotlight on the vital work of our snow removal crews, whose dedication keeps our roadways safe
during the winter months, while also fostering a sense of community pride and participation,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin in a statement. “By offering this creative opportunity, we’re inviting our young
people to engage with the essential services that keep our city moving.”
The contest is open to pre-K-12 students who live and attend school in the City of Charleston.
With their parents/guardians permission, students can submit their snowplow name ideas online until November 14 at 5 p.m.
Winners will be notified via their parent/guardian’s contact information by Nov. 27.
Here’s some additional contest rules/ guidelines:
. Snowplow name submissions must be 15 characters or less (including spaces).
. Snowplow name cannot include the student’s name.
. Names or words protected by copyright or trademark will not be accepted.
. Profanity and inappropriate language are prohibited.
. If multiple students submit the same name, the person who submits the name first will be selected