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Each month, the city of Spokane Valley receives a bill for street maintenance as part of an annual agreement with Spokane County.
As is the case with services like animal protection and law enforcement, the city has contracted with the county for road upkeep since Spokane Valley incorporation became official in March 2003. Over the past few years, the cost of snow plowing, deicing and sanding has run the city between $250,000 and $350,000 each winter, according to Spokane Valley Finance Director Ken Thompson.
Not so with the winter of 2007-08.
Going back to November and December of last year, when snow fell heavier than in each of the previous three years, the city paid out $700,000 to the county for maintenance tied to winter weather. The start of 2008 signaled more of the same. The bill for January alone came in at nearly $493,000.
The city has set aside $1.4 million for the county to pay for road repairs in 2008. While the start of the year may have not been a boon for the annual budget, Thompson said Spokane Valley will continue to make safe streets a top priority.
“We’ll take it from other areas,” he said. “We’re going to take care of the streets.”
Savings from previous years has meant the establishment of a winter weather reserve fund totaling just under $560,000, Thompson said. There is also the possibility of pulling money left over from the general street fund once the 2007 books are closed.
“This winter certainly puts us behind,” Thompson added. “But the good news is that we came in just under budget last year.”
While Thompson tabulates the economic side of the season from the city’s finance office, Public Works Director Neil Kersten is addressing the fallout of winter from a logistical perspective. Earlier this week, Kersten’s department was joined by a contingent from Poe Asphalt Paving Inc. to help patch up potholes on streets throughout Spokane Valley.
As the snow melts, repair crews will also have to address pavement fractures caused by ice that seeps into fissures in the asphalt and expands creating even more gaps in the roadway.
“We’re gearing up to deal with that,” Kersten said.
Spokane Valley residents can report potholes and other street damage by calling City Hall at 921-1000.
In Liberty Lake, excess water – exacerbated by clogged stormwater drains – caused problems for motorists along Country Vista Drive and other arterials last week. City officials placed several signs along affected streets, warning of high water.
Since incorporating in 2001, Liberty Lake has contracted with Peplinski Contruction for its winter road work. Last year, the city spent $70,000 on snow and ice management, $30,000 over the projected amount. In 2008, Liberty Lake has already eaten up over $33,000 of its $50,000 budget.
Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency in 15 Washington counties, including Spokane, on Jan. 31. The first month of the year brought with it nearly 40 inches of snow to the Spokane area, the fourth highest amount in recorded history.
This week, Spokane County officials announced that rising temperatures and run-off are making travel dangerous in the north and eastern areas of the county. Localized flooding has also been reported in southeast Spokane County.
Police continue to warn motorists to travel slowly, avoid standing water and allow more space between vehicles. On Wednesday morning, crews from the Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to a two-car collision on Pines Road in which one driver sustained multiple injuries. Fire officials say the crash was caused by a vehicle spinning out of control.
In Millwood, Public Works Director Cleve McCoul has to go back to the winter of 1993 to recall the type of extreme weather that the area has seen this season. That year, the town leased a grader to help push the berms – large piles of snow and ice that accumulate on the side of the road – safely out of the way.
It takes between six to eight hours to clear Millwood’s entire grid of roadways, a task that McCoul’s department has tackled three times this year, in addition to plowing the main arterials twice. Just recently, the town spent around $3,000 to purchase a new sander, replacing one that had been in commission for 20 years.
“We’re ready for spring,” McCoul said.
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By
Craig Howard
