Halton Hills Winter Control Operations

At their meeting of Monday, August 31, 2009, the Community Affairs Committee for the Town of Halton Hills received a staff report dealing with Winter Control Operations, as performed by the Public Works Section of the Infrastructure Services Department.

This report was prepared in response to the severe winter experienced in 2008 and associated budget impacts. In 2008, the Public Works Section of the Infrastructure Services Department budgeted $1,145,400.00 for Winter Control Operations. Staff spent $1,784,850.00 or $639,450.00 more to address 102 events with accumulations of over 217 centimetres of snow and ice, in which 64 centimetres of precipitation fell in December alone, in order to meet the Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards and the Town’s own performance standards. As well documented, the 2008 winter season was a challenge for many municipalities in Ontario.

To manage the peaks and valleys associated with winter control, many jurisdictions utilize a rolling 5-year average for budgeting purposes. With recent budget pressures, winter control was not funded to the 5-year average. When staff analyzed the past 5 years using an average cost, the required budget would have been $1,445,618.00 (adjusted for 2009 dollars) or about $300,000.00 more than currently allocated in the 2009 budget.

Staff will be transitioning back to utilizing the 5-year average to fund the winter control budget. Staff will draw upon the severe weather reserve created as part of the 2009 budget process to offset any over expenditure, if necessary.

Also, among the recommendations adopted by the Committee and later ratified by Town Council on September 8, 2009, were cost saving initiatives to reduce the amount of salt being spread, by reducing the number of salt routes from 10 to 5, particularly overnight where its effectiveness is limited. Staff estimates that this change could result in a material savings of approximately $100,000.00, based on an average winter season.

Other cost saving initiatives that staff have already started to implement include:

• Automated spreader control systems on board Town snow plows regulate the amount of material being spread while the roads are being cleared.
• Pre-wetting technology is available on the majority of the Town’s fleet. Pre-wetting the material with liquid calcium chloride prior to application decreases the time required for the salt/sand to begin melting the snow and also decreases the amount of material that bounces off the road and into the ditches where it has no effect.

The report also includes recommendations to include new initiatives, such as:

• Clearing of snow embankments from boulevards on Mountainview Road in Georgetown. Mountainview is unique not only because of its high daily traffic count, but also because boulevard parking is allowed causing site lines to become obscured. The snow embankments will be reduced once they have reached a height of 1.05 metres. Staff will reduce the height of the banks to a suitable level to ensure oncoming traffic is visible.
• Sidewalks within Dominion Gardens Park, the Gellert Centre to Argyll Road and the Barber Drive Park will be added to the Town’s Sidewalk Snow Clearing Program. Parts of the pathway systems will be cleared to allow access to the areas and to encourage residents to participate in outside activities. This recommendation is in compliance with the Town of Halton Hills Green Plan, which also encourages people to walk when possible.

Mayor Rick Bonnette commented, “We live in a country that has snow in the winter months and there is no getting around it. There is a huge cost for snow removal, but it is an essential service. We can be proud that Halton Hills provides a level of service which exceeds the Provincial standards and many communities. We know of neighbouring communities who do not plow side streets in residential neighborhoods. Halton Hills has 900 km of roads and streets, and our Public Works manages to get to them all in a timely fashion.”

Town of Halton Hills Ward 2 Councillor Joan Robson expressed her satisfaction with the services being provided and the new initiatives being introduced to area residents.

According to Councillor Robson, “Our Community has come to perceive the above-standard calibre of snow removal in Halton Hills as being normal. I am regularly stopped in the supermarket by folks who wish to compliment me on the Town’s excellence in keeping roads clear of snow in the winter. I’d like to see this continue.”

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