Snow removal bills pile up for businesses, residents

If it snows again before there’s more serious melting, John Duty will have to bring in a bulldozer to widen his driveway in southern Stevens County.

Already this winter, Duty said he’s paid triple or more what he paid in the past to have the driveway plowed.

“Two years ago, $20 to $25 was typical,” Duty said. “Last year it was $40. This year I’ve been charged $65 twice and $85 once.”

Bringing in heavy equipment for snow the plows couldn’t move, and to keep his driveway passable, would cost $350, Duty said estimates.

Bills have been piling up along with the snow – not only for property owners like Duty, but for businesses and local governments, too.

Norman Paul drove to California to retrieve his Kubota tractor to clear snow from the parking lot of the State Motel on Coeur d’Alene’s Sherman Avenue.

He paid $40 a couple of times to have the small motel parking lot plowed and $100 during a heavy snow.

“I went to go pick up my tractor because I realized it was going to cost so much to keep doing this,” Paul said. “At the time it just seemed like, especially if it snowed very much more, it would definitely be worthwhile.”

Dorothy Takashina wrote a check this week for $900 to cover the costs – so far – of keeping her driveway cleared in Cataldo, Idaho.

“It’s definitely been a hard winter and caused a lot of hardship for a lot of people,” Takashina said.

The expense “certainly did put a kink in my budget,” she said.

The effect on government budgets is still being tallied.

Medical Lake City Administrator Doug Ross said the city is racking up higher-than-usual bills for overtime and fuel.

The city’s fuel bill is typically less than $3,000 a month, he said. February’s bill is already around $7,000.

Just as recent snowstorms began, one city grader got a flat tire. Another piece of heavy equipment is down for repairs.

“Big equipment can be fickle at times, and the more you use it, the more breakdowns you have,” Ross said.

“We have used all of our equipment a lot this year.”

Invoices are still coming in, but Hayden Public Works Director Kevin Clement said there’s no question that the city has exceeded its $25,000 annual budget for snow removal.

“The overtime has skyrocketed,” Clement said.

Wear and tear on city equipment is also costly.

“Our fleet has an average age of about 24 years old,” he said.

“Old equipment and cold temperatures just result in more frequent breakdowns.”

Both Takashina and Duty have been trapped in their homes at times this winter, unable to make it through the snow blocking their drives.

For Takashina, it wasn’t a major a concern.

She had enough food and said she knew she could count on her neighbors for help if she had any trouble.

But Duty lives with his 85-year-old father, who has Alzheimer’s disease, and holing up at home isn’t an option.

He needs to have a clear road in case of emergency.

“I am held hostage to the price,” he said. “Next year, I will own my own plow.”