No snow hard on some C.O. companies
We’ve seen wind and we’ve seen rain, but we’ve not seen much snow on the High Desert this winter. And a winter with little or no snow affects more than just skiers and snowboarders.
No snow means companies that typically get paid to get rid of it are struggling. Landscaping businesses often spend the winters pushing, picking up, shoveling, melting and clearing snow. But this winter, those businesses are looking around for just about anything else. Meanwhile, plows, blowers, salt, ice melt and shovels sit unused.
Bill Schumacher, the owner of Springtime Landscape and Irrigation, said Thursday that during the winter, businesses typically turn to snow removal for income.
“Totally different from last year — this year we’ve had maybe one 3-inch plow, and last we were plowing 18-24 inches. So it’s been real slow this year. It’s been tough on a lot of my employees,”
The landscaping company has 70 employees who are usually working the snow this time of year. But with no snow, the company has had to let some employees go for the season. The owner said he’s confident there will be another big snow before winter ends.
But there are tradeoffs in bare pavement. No snow on the ground means it’s actually possible to do road work.
The Bend Department of Public Works said they’re taking advantage of this mostly dry winter. In years past, the department has had to put road work on the back burner for months, while dealing with snow and waiting for warmer weather. This year, however, is a different story, Streets Director David Abbas said.
“The ADA (sidewalks and ramps) crews been able to keep busy. The landscape crew, if they’re not cleaning up wind-damaged ,blown-down trees, they’re prepping and clearing those corridors so that the street preservation equipment will fit down those corridors and we can treat those roads this summer,” Abbas said.
Officials also said they’re still fixing potholes whenever they get reported. And as far as the snow removal budget goes, the city said it can’t know if it’s saved money this year until the end of the season.
