ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It’s taken awhile compared to other years, but a big winter storm, the first good one of the season, is moving in today and are public works departments are primed.
The relatively late in the season arrival is saving the Village of Allouez, as well as many other area municipalities, some money.
“We’ve only been out a couple times, maintaining the streets,” said Sean Gehin, Allouez’s Public Works Director. “I think we’ve done 1 or 2 full plows”
Gehin tells FOX 11 the mild winter has his department’s budget in a good position.
“On a normal year, we typically spend anywhere between $150,000 and $200,000 clearing our roadways and sidewalks. We’re no where near that.”
There’s no greater evidence than the mounds of salt that have barely been touched inside the shed at Allouez’s village hall.
Gehin says the village gets 400 to 600 tons of salt each winter. He doesn’t know exactly how much has been used this year, but he says it hasn’t been much.
The village maintains about 54 miles of roadway. Gehin says they’ll be monitoring to see if a full plow is necessary, which usually takes about six hours.
“I’m sure we’ll be out through the course of the day salting and will probably wait until the end of the storm to go out and do a full plow if we need to.”
Many roads have been treated with the snow melting chemicals, and the plows are gassed up and ready.
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