The lack of snow so far this winter means the City of Estevan has been saving money on its snow removal budget.
Norm Mack, the roads and drainage manager for the city, said the 12 employees they have working in the snow removal department have been doing some work to keep the busiest roads in Estevan clear and the intersections free of ice. It’s hard to say how much money they have saved so far this winter, and they won’t have an actual figure until winter is over.
When it has snowed, Mack said the crews have been out early to remove the snow from the Priority 1 arterial roads. And their trucks have been out to salt and sand the intersections.
“We have the equipment in the shops, and the people here, and that’s what their job is in the winter months, for the roads and drainage side, is snow removal,” Mack told the Mercury.
When the city crews saw that warm temperatures were coming in late January, he said they wanted to be “pro-active,” so they removed snow and ice from the Priority 2 roads.
“But the one thing we haven’t done is worked overtime,” said Mack. “We’ve just worked regular hours. We’ve made sure that … Affinity Place is always clean before 8 o’clock in the morning. Our pathway system is a priority 1 for us, too. If it snows, we’re out early in the mornings, making sure that the pathway systems are clear.”
The work on the Priority 1 and 2 streets might not have been essential, but if the snow is left for a significant amount of time, Mack said it will cause ruts. And the work they have done left the Priority 1 and 2 roads with little snow or ice remaining.
The Priority 3 roads, which are largely residential and industrial routes, haven’t had enough snow to justify any clearing efforts. School zones on Priority 3 roads are the exception, and they have been graded.
If Estevan receives a few centimetres, Mack said they will let the vehicle traffic pack down the snow on Priority 3 roads.
Repair bills have been minimal this year, too, and they have been able to train some of their new employees on how to use the snow clearing equipment.
“It’s actually been a perfect winter for us,” said Mack.
If they do receive a lot of snow in February or March, they will be ready.
“We’re watching the forecasts, and one thing we’ve noticed is the weather reporting has gotten so much better in the last few years … because if they say it’s going to snow two days from now in the afternoon, it does snow,” said Mack.
If a really big storm rolls through, they can bring in contractors if necessary, but they do have their own equipment.
“We’ve ordered a new snow blower, so we’ll have two good snow blowers available to us,” said Mack. “The new snow blower should be here within a month or so. We’re hoping it makes it here for this winter.”
They also have two graders, two snow blowers, a skid steer with a power broom, a backhoe with a snow bucket and three tandem trucks.
