snow plows have spent more time parked this year
than they have in recent winters. Precipitation this
year has mostly been in the form of rain, with only
a few exceptions.
(Photos by Eric Crump/HF Chronicle)
What a difference a year makes.
Last February started with the Super Bowl blizzard of 2015, the fifth largest snowstorm in Chicago-area weather history. Seventeen inches of snow fell in two days. In Flossmoor, public works crews plowed streets for 44 straight hours.
This February began with a freaky thunderstorm that dumped nearly two inches of rain on the H-F area in a 24-hour period. But there’s no snow on the ground and only minimal amounts of the white stuff are expected in the next 10 days.
January was warmer and drier than average and, overall, the winter has been relatively mild. Winter will officially be with us through March 21, however, and it’s way too early to make any predictions without taking the precaution of knocking on the nearest available piece of wood.
Still, the numbers for this winter have been encouraging.
This winter, village crews have used about half the amount of salt that was needed last year, Flossmoor Public Works Director John Brunke said. He estimated that the village has used about 100 tons of salt, compared to more than 200 tons at the same time last year. Normally, between 20 and 25 tons of salt are used following a snowstorm, he said.
Overtime costs are also down this year. In 2015, Flossmoor paid an additional $9,036 in overtime costs, mostly related to plowing snow. This winter, the overtime costs currently stand at $5,393.
Flossmoor purchased more than 500 tons of salt for this winter, Brunke said. The salt is purchased through a state program during warmer months when there is no way of knowing how much will actually be needed. Since this winter’s needs are down from 2015, most of the newly-purchased salt will need to be stored at the village’s public works complex.
Salt is currently going for $63 a ton, he said. That is down drastically from a year ago, when it was going for $120 a ton, a price that some public works professionals saw as artificially inflated.
Brunke said salt storage was one of the main topics when public works directors from a number of south suburban towns met this week. Storage companies are contacting some communities while others are getting ready to buy more tarps.
“It’s not a bad problem to have,” he said.
With not as much snow and ice this year, the number of potholes is also down. Snowplows are causing less damage to streets. And there’s not as much damage to snowplow blades. Brunke said it costs about $300 to change those blades.
During the current mild winter, public works crews are getting started on jobs that normally are put off until the spring, he said.
“We’re doing some tree removal and cleanup projects around town,” he said.
Although not weather-related, the current low price of gas and diesel fuel is also making life easier for the public works department.
“We’re seeing some huge savings,” Brunke said, adding that gas and diesel costs are almost half of what the village expected to pay for fuel.
Homewood Public Works Director John Schaefer said Friday that the village has saved some money in terms of overtime and equipment but does not have the numbers on exact dollar savings this year as opposed to last winter. He added that salt is a variable that can drive up costs regardless of the weather.
“The area that we don’t save a lot of money in is the salt purchase as, like many municipalities, we place our orders for salt in March for the following year and are required to take 80 percent of the salt we requested under the state purchase program,” Schaefer said.
The village also faces problems if there is more salt than room for storage at the end of the winter, he said.
“There are options to pay for storage but this can be very expensive,” Schaefer said. “So mild winters don’t always mean large financial savings. It is always a balance between the two.”
snowfall, including a big blizzard at the beginning
of February.