Snow Removal!

With the first snowfall of the year, there's been comments about street snow removal in Beiseker, as well as some confusion about what the Village does about it - and doesn't do.  So here is my understanding of our snow removal policies;

• After each snowfall, our Public Works Department gets to work with three main pieces of equipment; the large plow-sanding truck, the skid-steer, and the tractor.  We do not own a grader.  In our opinion, a grader is a very expensive piece of machinery to own and maintain.
• Main Street (including the central business district) and the main arteries are plowed first.  The business sidewalks are also cleared.
• As in most municipalities, residential streets are not usually cleared unless they are impassable.
• Lanes are checked over on the Thursday to make sure the garbage truck and recycling van can get around.
• Public parking lots are cleared.
• The airport runway is always the last to be cleared.
• Residents are given 72 hours to clear the snow from the public sidewalk in front of their homes.
• The village maintains a snow removal budget which is not huge.  Moving snow is expensive!

Snow removal policies always generate much discussion in council.  Council must balance the need to keep the people of Beiseker moving and the cost of plowing and hauling snow.  The larger our snow removal budget and costs, the more risk that another program might have to be trimmed or that taxes may have to be increased!

If you think this needs to be changed, please contact a council member so that they can take your concerns to the rest of council.

(And let's pray for a lot of chinooks!)