Nanaimo snow and ice control under budget despite long hours
NANAIMO — Despite having crews on the road nearly around the clock for periods over the last two weeks, it’s unlikely the city of Nanaimo will overspend on snow removal this year.
The city’s Finance department reports just over $294,000 of the $712,000 budget had been spent up until Dec. 13. That includes snow and ice control for the Parks and Rec department, as well as the $599,000 budget for roads.
“We can say we’ve been doing snow and ice operations pretty well since last Sunday when we got that first shot of snow,” said David Myles, the city’s manager of roads and traffic services. “We’ve had crews out through the days and through the evenings.”
There are about 150 staff in the Public Works department, 75 of which are on the snow and ice list, meaning they have been trained and are available, according to Myles. He says his staff have been putting in some incredibly long hours.