Even law enforcement officers spun their wheels Monday. Mounting snow left city streets slick. Central Nebraskans got a taste of winter in a big way. "I don't like this! It's cold and it's a mess," Pam Wicht said.

It could be called a perfect storm for the City of Grand Island. Public Works Director Steve Riehle resigned as of Friday. The street superintendent is on vacation and the budget for hiring private contractors was cut from the budget.. Utilities Director Gary Mader also fills the public works role, on an interim basis. He said, "Private contractor funding was cut from the budget so the entire snow effort is being handled by the city staff with assistance from other city divisions for relief on snow plow duty.

After pushing through snow on his unplowed residential street, Charlie Ponec directed traffic to help plows clear a downtown lot faster. "We're getting cars shuffled so they can clear the lot so we can have it clear later," he explained.

Grand Island had hoped to start on side streets by early Monday morning, but the snow kept falling. If winds pick up, it could cause further delays. Mader said, "We may have to move out of residential areas and go back to snow routes depending on how drifting occurs."Even big rigs get stuck in loose snow. If cars can make it to emergency routes, travel is much easier.

Charlie Ponec said, "Once I got to a main route, it was fine."For the guy whose snow supervision started with the first flurries, this storm could've waited. Gary Mader joked, "That would've been nice. Sometimes just works out that way."As expected, Grand Island declared a snow emergency over the weekend. However, it's unclear if the message got through properly. At any rate, like in so many area communities, plows continue, but it could still be some time until every street is clear.

Reporter's Notes by Steve White: Mader said the city is using about a dozen plows, with operators running 12 hour shifts, before being relieved by other crews. During a snow emergency, cars are asked not to park on designated snow routes, to assist with snow removal.