It looks like old man winter is finally ready to take a nap as no more snow or winter-like temperatures are in the forecast.
That means the City of Regina can put away its winter equipment after a busy start to the year.
The City has spent $8.2 million or 95 per cent of their $8.6 million winter road maintenance budget.
Tyler Bien, the manager of seasonal roadway operations, says that they usually spend three-quarters of the winter maintenance budget by now.
“This past winter has been unusually challenging for us. Since the start of winter to the end, we actually had 11 systematic plows where typically we budget for five systematic plows,” he said. “We averaged roughly 90 centimetres of snow this year. On average, the City receives 60 centimetres of snow over the course of the winter.”
“The last couple months of the season, the January, February, March months tend to have more weather events happen so a higher portion of the budget usually gets spent,” Bien continued.
He noted the City also experienced unusually high wind and snowfall events.
The City now has $400,000 to cover the rest of the year. With how unpredictable winter can be, Bien said they are ready to spend more if necessary.
“We can come into the end of the year, November and December, and have a light rest of the year, and then we will use our funds accordingly,” he said. “If November and December come and it brings us snow, wind, and icy conditions, we will go and provide those services to the residents as needed, and then we will use whatever remaining budget we do have, and anything over and above we will use our winter reserves.”
He added that whether they go over their budget, they will continue to provide the same services to residents.
