The past week's blast of winter weather wasn't a major storm. Western Pennsylvania has endured many more formidable wintry events.

But as people in the city of Butler and its environs ponder what might lie ahead, it's a good time to reflect on what winter-weather response was successful during the past week in and around the city — and what response was not so successful.

Looking at the state Department of Transportation's performance on area roads, it can be said that Penn-DOT earned a passing grade, but it did not merit a place on a Butler County winter maintenance honor roll. For example, some people traveling Route 8 north of the city might have wondered whether PennDOT had become rusty due to the milder winters the past several years. That highway was not in the condition it should have been well after the bulk of the bad weather blew through.

Meanwhile, state-maintained roadways such as Jefferson and Cunningham streets and Morton and Center avenues in Butler seem to be needing more-focused PennDOT attention when bad weather arrives, based on the condition of the roads during this latest taste of winter.

Likewise, the North Main Street Hill, part of Route 8 and a major entrance to the city, also deserves greater attention than it at times received during the past week.

As is generally the case, city highway workers performed well under the challenges that the latest stormy weather presented. Once they are on the road, difficult situations usually are brought under control quickly.

The problem in the city in years past has centered around the workers not being mobilized quickly enough, and that wasn't the case this time.

The biggest unsolved issue regarding the city's winter street maintenance is how to address buildup of snow and ice where people park their vehicles. That is an issue Councilman Joseph Bratkovich, who assumed the role of streets department director last month, intends to address in coming months by way of a new action plan.

Until that plan is fully developed, he said, he and department workers will be looking for ways to ease winter parking difficulties, even if not in the more organized way that the coming plan will allow.

The streets department is severely limited by having only a supervisor and four employees to oversee snow and ice removal on 50-plus miles of city streets. With that in mind, Bratkovich said Friday that he plans to propose the hiring of up to two additional employees for the department. However, he said, he would not submit that proposal until he can provide a full outline of what those workers would be expected to do, not only during the winter but at other times of the year.

He said city taxpayers deserve such a full justification for hirings at the time the request is made.

That attitude toward the taxpayers' interests is commendable.

An article in the Feb. 10 edition of the Butler Eagle reported on Penn-DOT's experimenting with a beet juice and salt brine mixture that the state transportation agency says is highly effective as an anti-freezing and de-icing agent at temperatures between 20 degrees and minus-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's the kind of effectiveness Butler County motorists sought during the past week but didn't always receive.

Road crews throughout the county should assess their performance of recent days and strive to do better if snowy and slippery conditions pose challenges in coming days and weeks. Municipal elected officials should lead that assessment.

There have been instances in the past when strong criticism of winter road maintenance in and around the city was warranted. All considered, this wasn't one of those times.

But that there is room for improvement cannot be disputed, and no one should be content with the status quo.