With little snow to clear, City of Kamloops streets crews keep busy on other projects

Dec 13, 2017 | 10:46 AM

KAMLOOPS — City of Kamloops streets crews have had little snow to clear since the big dump at the beginning of November, but that doesn’t mean they have sat idle.

Streets and Sign Shop Supervisor Joe Luison says the crews are still working hard – even in the middle of the night.

“We’re still running 24-hour shifts. The nighttime guys will be maintaining potholes, doing milling jobs. We have a recycler here that we make our own asphalt with so we’re utilizing that. And then I have a few guys who are hauling materials for making (3/4-inch road base),” said Luison.

“We take advantage of this extra time to stay on top of the road situation, but they’re definitely running around the clock on other projects.”

Luison says the city’s street-clearing budget is still in good shape, and likely will remain that way if the weather continues to be uneventful.

He notes that budget is largely eaten up by overtime wages, and can be depleted very quickly if a heavy snowfall coincides with a statutory holiday.

“The budget, since we do have this bit of a lull, is holding pretty strong,” said Luison. “We don’t have too many concerns at this time, but Mother Nature has thrown us a twist before, when she’s thrown large accumulations in a short time. We can’t control her, so we’ll have to go by what she wants to deal us.”