The City of North Battleford ended up with a big cleanup bill following the massive storm June 25.
Parks and Recreation Director Keith Anderson had the unenviable duty of informing council Monday of the costs incurred by the City from that cleanup.
The total to date is $171,003. That includes $105,258 for contracted services, $16,000 for a roofing contract commitment that is not paid out yet, $30,000 for salaries, $3,254 for overtime salaries, $13,332 for equipment and $3,156 for storm cleanup supplies.
Those expenses were incurred and tracked in the five weeks after the storm. Anderson also noted there is no insurance coverage for tree cleanup unless there is damage to buildings or other property.
Overall, it was the worst storm damage to hit the city in years.
"This was the worst storm that I've experienced since moving to the Battlefords in 1990," Anderson said.
That wind and rain storm, with winds reported at 100 km/h, blew down trees all over the city.
Many large trees were uprooted, landing on cars or on the roofs of houses. The storm also knocked out power and interrupted the regular city council meeting that night, forcing it to reconvene the following day.
It resulted in a massive cleanup effort from over 30 city employees, who cleared trees and debris off the streets. Purchase orders were issued to three different tree care companies to assist with the work as well.
The majority of the storm damage is now cleaned up, but tree assessment is ongoing. The concern now is to find any remaining trees with broken limbs that have not yet been identified.
Anderson reported it will be easier for staff to identify and deal with the remaining hazards as the tree leaves come down this fall.
