'Out Of The Ordinary' Snowfall Exhausts Residents, Equipment
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (CBS4)- Any long-time Summit County resident will tell you that this January has been out of the ordinary.
With four to six feet of snow piling up in the area since the beginning of the year, local snowplow crews are stretched thin and residents are growing weary of being asked to be patient.
Mike Weber with Wilderness Property Management says it is all his crews and contracted workers can do to keep up with the snow this year.
"People are tired and stressed, for people on the front line it has been stretching them thin," Weber told CBS4.
While piles of snow continue to stack higher and higher, the home owners association is asking residents and visitors to have patience.
The management sent out a letter to residents explaining the challenges they face this season:
- "Our staff involved with removing snow at our Associations continue to work exhaustive hours in excess of 40+ hours /week shoveling without breaks. Their effort was, continues to be tremendous, and is appreciated.
- "Our snow plowing vendors report being "overwhelmed." Heavy equipment breakdowns occurred due to sheer overuse in January. Some Vendors literally "threw in the towel" and left the business causing pressure on the remaining Vendors and challenges to keep up. Fortunately, our working relationships with our Vendors is solid given our size and reputation.
- "Snow storage and snow haul off continues to stress the County and properties at large, not only the properties under our Management. Trucks hauling away the snow are commonplace as the pressure to remove it continues. This activity should be expected with Feb-April to go."
Adding insult to injury, the machinery used to move the snow is starting to give out too due to the shear amount of work.
"Because it happened so quickly and all the machinery was running constantly after hour after hour, mechanical breakdowns just exasperate the problem," Weber added.
It's shaping up to be a January to remember - with sore backs, long hours and all.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
