‘Big Snow’ costs beginning to add up Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Jon-Paul Wimer, senior journalist 9:41 AM - As snow continues to fall, the numbers are beginning to add up – and no, not just snow totals but money totals. Last weekend, Feb. 13 and 14, the Borough of Ellwood City spent a little over $26,000 on snow clearing and removing. This amount includes the $9,750 for outside contracting that they received for extra support. The Borough of Ellwood City contracted McClymond’s Trucking and Supply Co. to assist with snow removal over the weekend and help clear the near 32 miles of roads in the Borough that have been devastated with the recent snow storms. The roads were exceptionally full of snow causing Mayor Court to extend the State of Emergency for Ellwood City through the weekend (it was lifted Monday at 11 a.m.). McClymond’s used five loaders, five trucks, and 10 men (2 men per unit) to pick up the snow and move to eight designated locations in town. The locations included the swimming pool parking lot, Vinny’s Restaurant parking lot, Stiefel Park, Meritbrook playground, and the empty lot near 7-11 at the end of the 5th Street Bridge. During Monday night’s Ellwood City Council meeting, the previous dollar amounts were broken down during Dom Viccari’s Manager’s Report. Jan. 7, 8, and 9 snowfall caused the borough $21,486.42 in snow removal costs; snowfall from Feb. 5 and 6 resulted in $13,532.58; snowfall from Feb. 7 led to $8,096.08 to be spent. As the snow continued to fall Monday night visible through the council room windows, Viccari read the grand total of “Big Snow” costs to be $69,227.20, stating “this amount does not reflect the snow we are getting now.” In other words, this amount is going to rise, especially if we continue to get the snow meteorologists are predicting. Snowfall of some kind is practically in every day of the forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend.