Subscribe
Community
County blizzard cleanup costs top $200,000
Bill is highest since 1992
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by JASON BABCOCK
A snow plow makes its way up MacArthur Boulevard in California on Dec. 19. Double-digit snowfalls covered St. Mary's County, leading to more than $200,000 in cleanup costs for the county government.
|
E-Mail This Article
The pre-Christmas blizzard took at least $200,000 of St. Mary's County funds to clean up, which sapped the snow removal budget, and bills are still coming in.
Between 10 and 18 inches of snow came down from the evening of Friday, Dec. 18, into Saturday night, with less in southern St. Mary's and more in Charlotte Hall.
The blizzard was the most expensive single storm to clean up after since at least 1992, according to records from the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation.
Both the state and county governments declared states of emergencies during the storm and St. Mary's, like other Maryland counties, may be eligible for reimbursement of cleanup if a certain threshold is crossed.
So far only the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation has submitted its figures to the county's public safety office. The rest of the costs are due by Jan. 1, from the sheriff's office and recreation and parks department along with any other overtime accrued, said Jaclyn Shaw, emergency management manager with the St. Mary's County Department of Public Safety.
The threshold for St. Mary's to meet is $278,461 to get federal reimbursement.
"It doesn't look like we'll be eligible," said George Erichsen, director of public works and transportation.
"It's possible that we'll reach it," Shaw said.
Even if the county doesn't qualify for federal reimbursement, it might get some from the state, she said.
Overall, the Maryland State Highway Administration spent at least $20 million clearing state roads during and after the storm, as other areas of the state got as much as 2 feet of snow.
The storm ate through the St. Mary's public works' budget, but Erichsen moved funds internally to cover the $198,000.
"We spent more than we had for snow removal," he said.
The bill includes overtime for county staff, outside contractors, sand, salt, plow blades, fuel and other costs. Work began that Friday night and continued through Monday, Dec. 21.
During the entire winter of 2008 only $34,000 was spent on snow removal. The entire winter of 2002 to 2003 cost $264,725.
Between December 1995 and February 1996, the county spent $546,512 in what was the snowiest winter on record with 59.2 inches.
In this month's storm, the county poured down an estimated 705 tons of sand and salt. Public works had 400 tons of sand and 1,200 tons of salt to start out with.
There are more than 600 miles of county-maintained roads in St. Mary's. The Loveville shop of the State Highway Administration sent out 28 pieces of equipment and called on 73 contractors for the 192 miles of state-maintained routes in St. Mary's, said Kellie Boulware, spokeswoman for SHA.
