Snow Budget Going Adrift
It is only the middle of February and it's no surprise that the head of the town's Department of Public Works (DPW) is closely watching the sky.
"You never know when the last storm of the season will hit," said Superintendent of Highways John Volpe.
Mother Nature seems to have set her sights on New England this year. For the winter season up until this January, Volpe has counted 37½ inches of snow in more than a dozen storms. Two of them, the most brutal, were so large they received names of Blizzard Albert and Blizzard Barbara. Depending upon when the snow storms hit, 11 of them required overtime costs by his department of 18 employees.
As would be expected, the DPW is coming close to hitting and exceeding its materials budget, which was 98 percent expended at press time. The materials budget is $100,000 for the season and includes costs for sand, salt, calcium chloride, and a salt mix called Ice B-Gone. Surprisingly, the overtime budget of $82,500 (which includes all combined overtime costs for one full year) has been only 38 percent expended.
Four years ago, the overtime budget (which included costs for part-time, seasonal workers) was $69,000; the materials budget was $70,000.
With 33 years of experience in the field, Volpe can usually anticipate what he'll need in materials for one winter season.
"I try to end the season with a full shed" of materials, he said.
The mix of materials used on the roads has changed over time as different towns and the state have drifted away from sand to the use of a salt mix with names such as Ice B-Gone or LaneClear. It is rock salt mixed with magnesium chloride, liquid calcium chloride, an anti-corrosive, and an agricultural product such as corn, sugar, or even beer by-products. Its job is to help the salt melt the ice more effectively. It is not mixed with sand.
The assumption is that, by using Ice B-Gone or similar no-sand products, spring cleanup costs will be significantly less.
Volpe said the product works well for the most part and that
the townspeople seem satisfied with the results, but as far as savings, there is a Catch-22 as the product is more expensive than sand and its price increases every year.
Regular rock salt averages $65 to $70 per ton; Ice B-Gone ranges from $87 to $90 a ton, whereas sand is $12.40 per cubic yard-about $13 a ton. On average and for the last few years, the town has used 800 tons of salt, 3,600 yards of sand, and 400 tons of Ice B-Gone for one winter season. In 1977, the town used 20 tons of salt for one season.
"There is definitely less cleanup time sweeping the roads when there is no sand," said Volpe. "But the roads still need to be swept due to the accumulation of debris from all rain- and snowstorms and the catch basins still need to be cleaned."
There may be fewer trips back and forth on the roads with the sweeper, but the number of catch basins in town-3,658-has not decreased.
The DPW is responsible for clearing the snow-laden roads on the primary roads, which are usually school bus routes, and on the secondary roads, a total of 180 miles. The state is responsible for Interstate 95 and routes 80, 146, and 77. The Parks & Recreation Department removes snow at all town buildings; the schools are serviced by a private contractor. The DPW has 14 full-sized trucks and two smaller ones.
"Everyone plows except the secretary and one mechanic," said Volpe.
The mechanic stays at headquarters in case of an emergency repair during plowing.
In addition, the DPW is responsible for the majority of reconstruction, sweeping, and grading of roads. It mows the sides of the road and repairs and replaces catch basins and potholes. It maintains all signs on town roads and trims trees and maintains all the town, police, DPW, Parks & Recreation, and Board of Education (with the exception of buses) vehicles.