Between the heavy snowfall of last Wednesday, February 10, and the storm of the previous weekend, the City of Lancaster has had to shell out about $340,000 for snow removal and cleanup efforts, according to Public Works Director Charlotte Katzenmoyer. The first snowfall absorbed about $90,000, she said, while the second drew an additional $250,000 from City road maintenance funds.
Counting yet another $90,000 for December’s snowstorm, the City has spent more than $430,000 for snow removal this winter—at least a quarter of a million dollars above the 2009-2010 allocation.
Mayor Rick Gray told NewsLanc that the City typically budgets $170,000 for snow management each year, with funds coming from a million-dollar state allocation from liquid fuel tax revenues. The rest of the liquid fuel funds are used for year-round road maintenance, such as repaving and pothole repair.
Gray said that he expects pothole repair funding to remain intact, while repaving efforts will likely take a hit in 2010. Since PennDOT plans to repave Queen and Prince—both state highways—this year, Gray noted that such roadwork will at least continue in some form.
According to Gray, a considerable portion of last week’s $250,000 was spent on outside contractors to help snow-blow and haul out truckloads of collected snow. Demonstrating the immensity of this effort, Gray recounted how he recently followed one such crew along Duke Street. In one block, Gray said, the crew filled four dump trucks. “That’s how much snow we’re dealing with,” he said.
There is a chance, Gray noted, that the City could see some of that $250,000 returned. According to Gray, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) may reimburse money spent on outside contractors, a provision that last occurred for the City in 2003. “If we get reimbursed, then we would have some money for paving,” Gray said.
