By Bonnie Culverhouse

Where Mother Nature is concerned, there are never any guarantees, but Minden Mayor Nick Cox says his city is prepared for cold weather at the end of the week.

“We are preparing to sand roads, if necessary,” Cox said. That decision is generally last minute, he added. “We don’t want to do it if we don’t have to.”

Plans are in place if a bad freeze hits, and Cox has held meetings with department heads, including Terry Combs, head of Street Department.

“Everything is on hand already, and we will load the trucks ahead of time,” he said. “Also we have sand spreaders and are looking at buying more.”

Roads most traveled will receive the first attention.

“We don’t have very many bridges we are in charge of in the city,” Cox said. “The ones we do have are state bridges on state highways.”

There are a few problematic areas, he said.

“There is a steep hill on Miller Street that requires sanding. East Todd hill comes to mind.”

The most heavily sanded hill is referred to as “Depot Hill,” which is located near the railroad tracks.

“Those are inclines where people slide,” he said.

Industrial Drive and La. 531 have hills that cause slippage.

While 531 is a state road, Cox said it is important for the city of sand it, if possible.

“It’s our emergency personnel that respond, so we want it as safe as possible,” said Cox. “We’re going to approach it like we are going to take care of it.”