Snoqualmie, North Bend pay extra to keep roads clear
January 1, 2009
By Michael Rowe
After near-record snowfalls in North Bend and Snoqualmie, the two cities are beginning to calculate how much money was spent clearing streets and performing other snow-related work.
“It will definitely affect the 2008 budget,” North Bend City Administrator Duncan Wilson said.
Road crews in both Snoqualmie and North Bend had to work overtime to keep vehicles from looking like this one, which was covered with snow in a North Bend neighborhood on Dec. 26.
North Bend racked up 300 hours of overtime during the snow emergency. In addition to the overtime, the city had to purchase sand and repair several damaged street signs caused by vehicles sliding on the slick roads.
City offices were closed for the holidays, but North Bend public works employees did not get to take a break.
“We’re extremely proud of their dedication and thank them for giving up time with their families so that we could spend time with ours and get there safely,” Wilson said.
On Christmas Eve, city workers plowed streets until 10 p.m., and on Christmas Day two crews worked through the holiday. Wilson said that some public works employees that cleared streets of snow and ice worked from Dec. 20-28 without a day off.
According to Wilson, the North Bend employees who worked clearing streets of snow from Dec. 20-28 were: Mark Pray, Randy Grina, Larry Shaw, Ron Williams, Kraig Kramer, Steve Riggle, and John Jackson. Mechanic Lloyd Johnson also put in many hours keeping the snow removal equipment running, Wilson said.
Snoqualmie city leaders are also trying to figure out how much the city spent on the winter crisis. Mayor Matt Larson said that road crews worked 210 overtime hours over a 10-day period. He said that this would cost the city roughly $10,000.
“This highly unusual event quickly overwhelmed our local resources,” Larson said.
To deal with the extra work, the city declared a state of emergency which allowed them to hire private contractors without going through the competitive bidding process normally required for performing city work. The city hired five private contractors and spent roughly $50,000 to $55,000 for these services. In 2006, the city also hired private contractors to help with snow removal, but the tab for that work was only $27,000.
Larson estimated total cost of the snow cleanup in Snoqualmie will be about $65,000.
“If this investment saved even one individual from serious injury, it was money well spent,” Larson said.
The cost of Snoqualmie’s snow cleanup will come out of the 2008 budget’s General Operating Emergency Reserve Fund. This fund was created to cover damages from natural events such as flooding, earthquakes and windstorms. The city could have tapped a similar reserve fund for emergency street work, but the expenses of clearing streets during the lengthy snow event were greater than the street fund reserves, according to Larson.
The mayor said that the cost of snow removal operations will not disrupt Snoqualmie’s normal city operations in 2009.
Larson also offered his thanks to the workers who helped clear roads during the snowstorm.
“A big thank you to our private contractors and Public Works and Parks Crews who worked tirelessly through storms and Christmas to keep Snoqualmie’s streets safe. This allowed us all to enjoy celebrating Christmas with family and friends,” Larson said.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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