By Jill Sperling

City confronting the task of clearing the Boxing Day snow

Dec 27, 2018 | 2:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — It may have come a day late for a white Christmas, but Kamloops finally has some snow. 

Residents are digging out of their driveways and city workers are carving out a path for local traffic. 

“We have had staff working on Christmas Day and on the 26th,” said the city’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager Glen Farrow. “It really ramped up yesterday, being the 26th, mid-morning as people were out shopping. We were attacking the roads ensuring people were able to get around safely.”

The city’s snow clearing crews have finished working on the main arterial roads and collectors and have moved on to the local streets, which should be looked after within 36 hours of the end of the snowfall. 

“Not every single local road will have a plow blade on it, depending on what the need is,” Farrow said. “So, every local road will be addressed, whatever that might look like, we might just apply a little bit of sand coming up to the stop sign. Every local road on a hill, it will be attacked, but certain roads might not need a plow blade down.” 

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Because the snow fell on a statutory holiday, the city will pay overtime for the work that was done to clear the roads Wednesday. 

The 2018 snow clearing budget was used up earlier this year and the city will have to draw from its reserve funds for the rest of the snow events this year. 

“As it relates to snow clearing, it’s more about the service levels than it is about the budget,” Farrow said. “We have service levels that need to be met, hitting and ensuring roads are safe and passable, sand applied, salt applied.” 

With more snow possible in the coming days, the city is preparing to start the snow clearing process all over again. 

“We are ready, we are prepared and the year’s not over yet as it relates to budget and winter’s definitely not over yet as we have months still to go. We are prepared and ready for it.”