Piling up: Where to put all the snow?

Council member Brad Roberts, who chairs the city's business partners/tourism committee, believes a new approach is needed for the downtown business district.

"I'm not absolutely certain what the city's policies are. Property owners have to clear the sidewalks in front of their businesses," Roberts said. "But where should the snow be pushed when they do that? And how do we get the parking places safe and the sidewalk open?"

At a recent committee meeting, Roberts pointed out that some downtown business owners expressed frustration with the piles of snow blocking parking and effectively keeping some customers away.

"There is a feeling that there doesn't seem to be any consistency in snow removal," Roberts said. "We need clear sidewalks, crosswalks, and parking to have commerce."

Roberts noted that the city's recent budget problems may be contributing to the concern.

"There has been a lot of effort not to spend money, and this may be a result of that. A lot of snow has happened and we don't have a big snow removal budget," Roberts explained. "Traditionally, there has been a lot of overtime with efforts to remove snow. Tight budgets and high snowfall don't work together. This illustrates how things work for those putting budgets together. How to fund a moving target?"

Roberts said he wanted to bring the problem before the City Council in an effort to forge a consensus on how to deal with heavy snowfall events. He also offered a couple of ideas for consideration.

"Maybe what needs to happen is we have the plowing done at night, when no one is parked downtown," Roberts said. "And maybe some of the business license fees could go into a snow removal account. I want the rest of the council to discuss this. I want to show the difficult position these businesses face, and get some good communication open."

The business partners/tourism committee meets on the first Monday of every month, and business owners and citizens are welcome to attend. The meetings will start at noon, at La Playita restaurant, 210 E. Jewett in White Salmon.