After an “unseasonably cold” and snowy winter, Mission council received an end-of-season snow clearing update on Monday night (March 6).
“It’s not the end of the season though, I’ll warn you it hasn’t come yet,” Mission’s Roads and Drainage operations manager Dylan Stewart said.
Stewart provided a report to council to summarize the snow season from fall 2022 to spring 2023 and update council on the response. According to the Stewart’s presentation, Mission had 100 cm of snow in 2022 — double the average from past years.
After a pair of snowy seasons, the city increased the snow removal budget in 2022 but still went 77 per cent over and spent $1,082,000. Mission shelled out more on snow response in 2022 than any other year in the last decade.
The report states that the snow budget fluctuates from year to year depending previous spending trends and each yearly number covers portions of two snow seasons. However, the level of service remains unchanged even if costs go over budget.
The city used 1,500 tons of salt from October 2022 to March 2023 — more than double the 700 tons the city had contracted for. The 700 tons were used by December and the city is exploring options to increase its salt supply and improve storage capacity.
“Using salt instead of a salt/sand mix made a noticeable difference to our level of service,” the report read. “Staff noticed the improvement, as the salt melted the snow quicker, which made the roads safer and easier to maintain.”
Mission’s snow equipment consists of four tandem dump trucks, two single axle dump trucks, six one tonne trucks, three backhoes, one loader and one grader.
READ MORE: Mission’s snow plows get punny new names
Several of the city’s vehicles are aging and Stewart advocated for the purchase of new vehicles. According to the report, staff will consider a spending package for 2024 for these vehicles.
The city also signed a new one-year service contract for the 2022/23 snow season to salt certain sidewalks and provide a higher level of service, in addition to snow clearing. Stewart says the plan is to renew the contract for the next snow season.
Meanwhile, the Mission Downtown Business Association (DBA) submitted a request to the city to clear parking stalls in the downtown area.
“The concern for business owners is that customers cannot find parking or safe passage from parking stalls to their businesses,” the report read.
However, discussions with other municipalities determined that the need to keep high priority routes clear leaves parking stalls as a lower priority.
The city will consult with the DBA on an approach to the issue and determine costs for the project.
Street cameras were also installed at strategic locations to provide an accessible live feed of current road conditions. According to the report, the project cost $20,000 and is $30,000 under budget.
The remaining funds will be carried forward to either install new cameras or to replace older cameras.
@dillon_white
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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