Merchants on the east side of Main Street were pleasantly surprised on Tuesday morning to find that the piles of snow that had lined the sidewalks in front of their businesses had disappeared overnight.
The snow piles had grown and grown as the streets were plowed after several storms and DPW Director Keith Boc said he didn’t know where he would put the snow next time because the piles already were interfering with the parking lanes.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said Tuesday that she and Mayor Richard Smith had decided to try the snow removal because the snow was piling so high. The city contracted with Davenport Brothers Construction, who brought in trucks and a crew Tuesday night.
Davenport took the snow to the former Amerman property on E. Columbia and S. Liberty St. where an ice mountain is being constructed.
Kollmeyer said she thinks Davenport planned to get it all done in one night, but couldn’t. She guessed they would do the other side on Tuesday night.
She said the city is trying this to see how it works out. She said the cost is several hundred dollars an hour and they don’t know how much it will cost.
Jane Vesche of Main Street Flowers has been trying to get the city or the Downtown Development Authority to get a program for removing snow berms that deny customers easy access to businesses.
She paid to have some of the snow removed in front of her business, but she was delighted to drive into work on Tuesday morning to find the snow on her side of the street completely gone.
Vesche called City Hall to thank them. Now, the customers for Valentine’s Day will be able to drive up, hop out, and get their bouquets of flowers without climbing a hill of ice.