LAC LA BICHE - An accumulation of snow over the recent weeks, mixed in with some freeze and thaw weather, has triggered the season's first snow removal campaign in Lac La Biche County's urban centres.
Municipal crews were busy in the hamlets of Lac La Biche and Plamondon last week, blading and clearing snow from side streets and urban neighbourhoods
The south side of the Lac La Biche hamlet was cleared through Wednesday, and the north side of the hamlet was busy with graders, bobcats and dump trucks Thursday. Crews were in the hamlet of Plamondon on Friday.
Signs were placed on all roads where the crews would be working, reminding residents to remove all vehicles from the snow clearing routes. On all three days, the snow started moving at 6 am.
Big budget item
According to Lac La Biche County Coun. Kevin Pare — who answered the question to a visiting Grade 6 student from École Ste. Catherine during a school visit to the council meeting on Tuesday — the municipality spent more than $730,000 last year on snow removal.
Explaining it was an "unprecedented" year for snowfall, Pare told the visiting francophone students that was a fairly significant expense. With just a few inches accumulating on area roads so far this winter season, Pare says the costs are still pretty low — so far
"Last year it was a lot of snow to remove, so obviously it took a lot of money to do it — It's only snowed like what? two inches so far? So I think we are under budget for this year, so far," he said.
Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov told the visiting youngsters that the snow removal is a large part of the municipality's annual spending.
"It's a big part of the budget, keeping the roads open," he said.