ESTEVAN — For the first time in more than 15 years, the City of Estevan isn't dumping snow on the 1400-block of Seventh Street.
Estevan city council voted 4-2 in favour of removing the residential area from its inventory of dump sites at the Feb. 26 meeting. Mayor Roy Ludwig and Coun. Lindsay Clark voted against the motion, while Councillors Shelly Veroba, Travis Frank, Tony Sernick and Kirsten Walliser were in favour. Coun. Rebecca Foord was not at the meeting.
The vote occurred several days before a powerful winter storm plowed through the southeast, and the city was not dumping snow at the location on Monday.
Council members who supported the motion noted that if they find there isn't a viable alternate option for dumping snow, they might have to resume using the Seventh Street location.
This isn't the first time the issue has been brought forward. In 1999, Estevan city council voted to stop dump snow on the south side of Seventh Street, and opted instead for the Pleasantdale valley off of King Street. But council reverted back to the 1400-block of Seventh in 2006-07.
Robert Myers, who has lived on Seventh Street for 28 years, has long been a critic of the snow dump site. He spoke out against it in the late 1990s and has long wanted snow to be dumped elsewhere.
Myers said he was pleased to hear of council's decision last week, but he's not happy the snow could eventually be dumped near his home again. If it happens, then he said he would have to try to sell his home, because he wouldn't wish the noise and the damage to his home from the trucks on anybody. He claims the rattling associated with the trucks has broken the thermal seal on windows, forcing him to replace them. The trucks create noise when they rumble past his house, and the proximity of the dump site to his home reduced his privacy.
Myers pointed out a neighbouring house has been on the market for two years, and it won't see because of the noise.
"The quality of living for old people here on Seventh Street is zero," said Myers.
In her report to council, Hayley DeConinck, the manager of the public works' roads and drainage division, recommended retaining the Seventh Street location, arguing that if the city were to get a very large snow event, it is the most efficient option from an operations perspective.
She pointed out roads and drainage utilized a total of nine strategically-placed dump sites to provide the fastest and shortest route from the snow blower at any given location within the city.
"In the event of a large snowfall, when equipment is dispatched to various locations around the city, the process in place is to utilize the closest dump site," she wrote. "Currently when both snow blowers are operational, the operators are waiting for empty trucks to return and on average, the snow removal process takes five days to complete," she wrote.
Recently, access to the Seventh Street site had been changed to 14th Avenue, she said. During normal winter temperatures, there is no concern over deterioration of the road.
"If the decision is to not use Seventh Street dump site overall, it would be double the time to complete a large snowfall event. Due to increased time, this may cause complaints," she wrote.
Snow could be deposited at existing sites, including one adjacent to Valley Street, a pasture on Drader Street North, or a site near the Royal Heights Esso, but she pointed out those would take more time. Council discussed the Pleasantdale valley site, but Ludwig said they would need to talk to affected residents first.
"Maybe they won't mind but I'm sure whatever happens, you'll find some people that aren't crazy about it," said Ludwig.
The Seventh Street site was used for snow from Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Streets, as well as some of the downtown core, and the parking lots for the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, Power Dodge Curling Centre, Affinity Place and Power Dodge Arena.
Veroba adamantly argued against the Seventh Street site.
"I took a drive down there, and that little cul de sac, I can only imagine if those big trucks were coming right up to that gentleman's house," she said.
Some of the pictures she has seen show how close the trucks come to the side of his garage. The snow dump has been 94 feet from his living room window.
"When he's sitting there, things are shaking right off the shelf, and his television, he said, has actually been having to be replaced, because he feels it's the shaking vibration the trucks are doing to his home. He's very fearful that his home itself is being damaged due to the vibration and shaking," said Veroba.
She stressed the city has eight other dump sites that it has never had problems with.
Clark suggested a reduced use for the Seventh Street location, but he believes it still needed to be in the area.
DeConick pointed out that if they do use King Street as a dump site, then they would have to get Cat operators.
"We can get into the valley for so long, but then you're going to have to push, like you do on Seventh Street," she said.
Frank argued that since this had been a low-snow year, this would be an opportunity to find another area.
"I don't know if I want to say absolutely no forever [to Seventh Street] but I definitely want to see them try some different ideas and see what will work and have a better look at it."
