Watch Out Snow! Plowasaurus Rex is On the Case!

JOLIET, IL - The City of Joliet announced today that "Blizzard Wizard," "Snow Buster" and "Plowasaurus Rex" are the three winning names for the City's new snowplows, the first time the City has offered residents the opportunity to name a piece of City machinery. Throughout January, elementary and junior high-school students from Joliet Public Schools District 86 were invited to submit their most creative names.

To participate in this naming program, students were asked to submit - as a school - one single name. Hufford Jr. High, Pershing Elementary and Taft Elementary all submitted "Blizzard Wizard" as their top-voted name, "Snow Buster" came from the students at MJ Cunningham Elementary, and Woodland Elementary students sent in "Plowasaurus Rex." The winning names are now prominently stenciled on each snowplow.

"The creativity these students showed was fantastic," said Greg Ruddy, Director of the Joliet Department of Public Works. "Our Joliet Public School students demonstrated some incredible imagination and it was very hard to pick just three from the dozens that were submitted. We have plenty of other snowplows in the fleet, so there will be many more opportunities for more names next winter."

The City of Joliet's Department of Public Works maintains a fleet of 43 snowplows responsible for keeping the City's 650-miles of roadways clear during snow events. Each snowplow route is approximately 16 miles in length. Depending on the type and magnitude of a storm event, each route will be traversed two or three times before it is completely cleared of snow. "Students are likely to see their plows come by next time we see some snow, which in these parts can be through April," added Ruddy.

# # #

About the City of Joliet

The City of Joliet is located in Will and Kendall counties in the State of Illinois, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 census, the city was the third largest in Illinois, with a population of 150,362. For more information about the city, visit https://www.joliet.gov.