Citizen brings snow plowing concerns to Town Council

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek resident Daryl Holte appeared before Town Council on the evening of March 26 to express his concerns about snow plowing in his neighbourhood.  Holte read and paraphrased from a letter he submitted to council on March 7, which reads as follows:

"This winter I have not had my street plowed properly to the south curb.  This street is a short block from Wilderness to Evergreen, approximately 350 feet, with no sidewalks, thus requiring extra attention for 350 feet.  The snow seems to build up on the south side with a snow bank on Evergreen and McDougall.
McDougall is a very busy street, as people from Pineview come from East Ave. so they do not have to slow down for the school zones.    McDougall is also a Shell bus route.  I would like my tax money spent for proper snow removal on my street!!
Regards, Daryl Holte "

After reading from his letter Holte elaborated on the situation.


"I have watched the snow plow people, not this year because I wasn't home but last winter I was home for quite some time, plowing up and back.  I've seen the grader going by east with the blade up in the air down the middle of the street and never plowing to the curb," Holte explained.  "On the 27th of March I was going to stop the loader plow operator and ask him if he would plow the street off where it had drifted up on the south side of McDougall and as well the snow bank that was on the corner of Evergreen and and McDougall.  As I was going to work in the morning he was plowing the south side of Saint Mike's School where the teachers park, and that evening going home there was no snow plowed.  The drifts were about so deep," Holte demonstrated, showing a height of about two feet.

"This last snowplow that we had plowed," continued Holte "it wasn't bad in our area."

"I'm not complaining when we get a little bit of snow, but when we get quite a lot of snow I think it should be plowed out."

"Are you saying it wasn't plowed at all, or it wasn't plowed to the curb?" asked Councillor Sahra Hancock.  "It wasn't plowed to the curb," answered Holte. After some explanation of the steps he had taken before bringing the matter to Council, Councillor Hancock asked him "So what is it you're asking of us, to have a review of the snowplow policy or to have it changed so we're plowing to the curbs?  My understanding of it right now is that we just plow the area that's travelled."

Councillor Wayne Oliver said "I appreciate you coming in and expressing your concern.  It would be helpful if you captured it with a photo just so we could see it.  My understanding and what I've experienced on my street is the main priority is open up the street, so you're getting that once up and once back pass, like you say, and then there's that ten feet where you normally would park... and then it seems over time in the coming days after a storm if it gets really bad in certain areas they will come and do a touch-up perhaps."

"I think the policy is open up all the streets first.  It would helpful to have a visual of what you're saying," said Oliver.

At the conclusion of discussion Mayor Olsen said "Thank you very much, and we will discuss this."