Snow Clearing Big In Spallumcheen Budget Plan

Sep 20, 2018 | 8:08 AM

Spallumcheen Council is looking at improving snow removal this winter.

Mayor Janice Brown says council wants to boost the budget for sand and salt and staffing

“How we could look at hiring weekend seasonal workers to help with our snow removal for seven days a week to help abide by the rules. We can’t have our people working seven days a week and long hours.”

Last year’s heavy snowfall put a lot of pressure on staff having to work overtime.

“Basically with the overtime that we use right now it works out to over 50 thousand dollars in overtime and if we get workers that can work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, ten hour days, the overtime should help pay for that.”

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The township has 190 roads to plow and it just comes down to making sure those roads are maintained.

“I think we’re finding that we’re having more extreme snow.Snowstorms that you gotta stay out there and stay on it. So, we’ve decided that we need to be prepared. Better to be prepared and not use it than not be prepared an be stuck.”

She says those workers would have other duties such as maintaining trucks and the works yard.

Mayor Brown figures the sand and salt budget could increase by between 60 thousand and 100 thousand dollars.

The township is still in negotiations with JPW Road and Bridge on a new contract with the company, which has traditionally shared snow clearing with Spallumcheen.

by Tom Mark