2 winters' worth of plowing

COUNCIL BLUFFS — This winter is proving to be a costly one.

Council Bluffs has spent $1,452,717 this winter on snow removal, according figures from Pat Miller, the city's street operations director.

That's more than double the $589,185 spent the previous winter.

“We've had enough snow this year for two seasons,” Miller said.

In addition, through the first two months of the year, Council Bluffs has spent $71,324 on pothole repairs, according to Miller's figures.

“We're still doing potholes, and that number is climbing rapidly,” Miller said.

In all of 2009, Council Bluffs spent $179,028 fixing potholes. That was up from $168,507 in 2008.

Miller noted that many snowstorms this winter came on weekends and during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, when labor costs were higher.

The cost of pothole repairs includes labor, materials and use of equipment. The work, he said, is “very labor intensive.”

For the most part, Miller said, pothole problems are addressed in the same manner as snow removal: Emergency routes are given priority because of their higher traffic.

Severe potholes, wherever they're found, are fixed quickly, Miller said.

“If we see it has to be mended right away, we'll be on it.”

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