Winter storm puts snow budget in the red

About 30 cm of snow has put the city over budget for snow clearing.

Last week’s snow dump means the City of St. Albert is now tapping extra funds identified in anticipation of just such a storm occurring.

The city’s snow and ice removal budget for 2014 was $3.1 million, but council was told last week that an extra $300,000 was added to public works’ contracted services budget since two of the last three years have required residential snow removal in the last two months of the year.

“Prior to the weekend, we were basically at our snow budget’s end,” said Derek Dallorto, transportation operations co-ordinator.

He noted this year’s budget includes paying for snow removal that occurred in January after heavy snowfall in November and December 2013.

About 20 contractors were pulled in to assist in snow removal efforts as the city attempted to get highways such as St. Albert Trail, arterials such as Sir Winston Churchill, the downtown area and city parking lots under control over the weekend.

On Monday the crews started tackling collector roads, which are the major roads within neighbourhoods. Dallorto said there was a possibility residential roads might be cleared later in the week.

If residential roads are cleared, another 12 contractors will be added on to the 21 contractors currently working. Those contracted workers and their equipment are in addition to public works staff and city-owned equipment.

They are going back over arterials with graders again to try and ease out some of the bumpiness.

“I think for what we were dealing with, with the volumes, we did quite well, people were able to drive during that storm,” Dallorto said.

He notes there have been both complaints and accolades about the snow clearing efforts. With blading occurring on collector roads, windrows are being left in the equipment’s wake.

“At that point in time we don’t have the resources to go and clean every driveway,” Dallorto said.

Some St. Albert residents were reasonably positive when surveyed outside the library at St. Albert Place on Monday night.

Warren Duggan said he had no complaints.

“It’s the first major snowfall,” Duggan said. “It’s a little rough in spots, but you expect that.”

Scott Weeteringen is predominantly a pedestrian, and he said the majority of sidewalks he’s encountered in the Grandin neighbourhood are in good condition.

“They’ve been good,” he said.

Jennifer Sleep said the snow clearing efforts aren’t as good as the ones she’s used to in her home province of New Brunswick.

Sleep did point out, however, that not as much snow tends to fall there at once.

“It could be a little bit better,” she said of St. Albert’s snow clearing.

Kyle Walker was more positive about the speed at which roads were looked after.

“It’s pretty fast,” he said. “Everything was cleared up quite quickly.”

Walker did say the exception was some of the residential areas.