If it snows, Richmond is ready, at least according to city officials. This is welcome news for everyone who slid down icy streets or bottomed out while driving over potholes last winter.
After exceeding its $300,000 annual snow-removal budget and reserve funds in 2010, the city of Richmond allocated $750,000 for this winter, says Sharon North, public information officer for Richmond's Department of Public Works. If all of the money isn't used this year, the remainder will go into a reserve account.
Public Works has 16 more plows than last year, eight more tailgate spreaders (which deploy salt and sand), and coming soon are 23 new garbage trucks that can be outfitted with plows.
North says city residents can help snow removal by parking off-street, especially near VCU, hospitals and along emergency routes, which are listed at richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/SnowRemoval.aspx.
