OTTUMWA —
Long before the snow begins to fall, officials are planning how they’ll move it out of your way.
“Everything for this year, the winter of 2012-13, we started [budgeting for] back in December 2011,” said Bob Jay, Ottumwa’s city finance director.
Of course, that means there’s some guessing going on. Last winter, most municipalities guessed too high.
“We didn’t expend nearly as much money as we did in previous years. We budgeted $300,000 — spent $120,000,” said Jay.
That money stays in city accounts until it’s needed. Last winter was just a strange weather period, so city budget planners didn’t want to be caught flatfooted this winter.
“We budget based on an average over a several-year period. For 2012-13, we’ve budgeted $317,000.”
If they need to spend more, Jay said, they’ll have to reduce spending elsewhere to stay within their budget.
Brian Moore, the Wapello County engineer, said this winter will be slightly less costly out on the county’s roads.
“We used very little salt [last year] compared to most years,” Moore said, “so we had quite a bit left and didn’t have to buy as much. We normally get our salt supply in the summer.”
If it’s anything like last year, it’ll be November before we’ll bring our trucks in, go through them [for inspection and winterization]. We don’t put the plows on until we get closer to the time we need them.”
“We’re budgeted for a normal amount of sand,” said Jefferson County Engineer Scott Cline.
That’s because, he said, there’s no way to be sure of what the winter will bring.
“It was a very strange winter last year, and it has been a very strange summer,” he said, referring to the heat wave and drought that settled over the region.
Cline said it’s a challenge to get the right amount of salt and sand. Not enough, and the county is scrambling to find more. Too much, and there’s not enough room to keep it.
“We have quite a bit of sand left over for spreading, but we’ve stored all we can store for now,” he said.
Both engineers said when the snow does come, they’ll be ready. Cline said it doesn’t take long to attach a salt or sand spreader; even plows go on relatively quickly.
In Wapello County, the county equipment is serving elsewhere.
“We haul rock with our trucks,” Moore said. “and we’re still doing construction.”
Moore said pre-winter projects are proceeding nicely in the recent mild weather, like Friday’s clear conditions with temperatures in the 70s.
“We’re wrapping things up. Next couple weeks, 87th Street and River Road will be open,” he said. “The Quincy [Avenue] bridge will be done within the next couple weeks, and the Chillicothe River bridge will be completed by winter.”
Local News
Prepping for winter: Officials not expecting a repeat of last year’s mild weather
- Local News
-
-
Reviving downtown's upper stories
Building by building, the upper stories of downtown Ottumwa are coming back to life after some have sat empty for half a century.
- Expanding Ottumwa's trail system OTTUMWA — The Market Street Bridge is a major link in connecting Ottumwa's north side to its south side. The seventh annual Wapello County Trails Council mediathon kicked off Saturday morning with volunteers on the phones taking pledges from the comm
-
Storms forecast to return later Monday
OTTUMWA -- The first severe weather outbreak of the year didn't do as much damage to southeast Iowa as in other areas, but it's likely on to round two today.
-
Searching for the perfect book
A steady stream of people snatched up books, magazines, DVDs and more at the annual Pages for Pennies book sale at Bridge View Center this weekend.
-
Staff eager for swimmers Beach Ottumwa improvements
OTTUMWA — When kids talk about the last weeks of school, one subject that often comes up is The Beach Ottumwa. It'll be ready soon, said employees. On Friday, the maintenance staff was installing the fountain heads that shoot water straight up at the
- Mixed reactions to tax reduction OTTUMWA — During past public forums in Ottumwa, Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, told voters the state should follow its own laws and make taxes equal across the board. This week, legislators in Des Moines took a first step toward that goal, which is a
-
New sports store coming to mall
OTTUMWA — A new tenant is coming to Quincy Place Mall. Lexington Realty International announced Friday afternoon the mall's newest tenant, MC Sports. Construction has already begun, and the store is anticipated to open just in time for back-to-school
-
Ottumwa teen earns criminal justice scholarship
OTTUMWA — A high school senior who shares the work ethic and spunk of the late Lisa Caldwell has been awarded a scholarship in her honor. Ottumwan Hunter Varner, a senior at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School, earned the first Wapello County Sh
- Budget shift on county agenda OTTUMWA — There's nothing like having some money in the budget to cover a project that doesn't have enough money on its line item. The Wapello County Supervisors will need to move some money to an item that has spent all of its funding, according to
- Wellness challenge asks people to live healthy OTTUMWA — Are you ready for the Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Wellness Challenge? Some of the city employees joined Live Healthy Iowa, and Jody Gates, the city's health director, was captain of one of the two teams of about a dozen people. "Our goals for
- More Local News Headlines
-
