No snow is good news for Darrington

Published 10:21 pm Tuesday, January 5, 2010

DARRINGTON — People in town continue to hope the current El Nino weather pattern keeps temperatures mild in the foothills.

That’s because there’s no room for a big snowfall in Darrington this winter.

No room in the town budget, that is.

“The snow last year was so hard on us, it depleted our resources,” town administrator Lyla Boyd said.

Nearly 9 feet of snow fell in Darrington last year. The town spent most of its annual street budget of $60,000 to clear the snow. Huge piles of the icy leftovers sat around for months.

“We don’t have the money this winter to bring in the heavy equipment to clear all the streets,” Boyd said. “We’ll be asking residents to help us get through this season.”

The new snow-removal plan to ensure access for emergency vehicles and keep residential and commercial traffic flowing calls for people to move their vehicles off the shoulders of town streets.

At the first sign of snow, personal property must be moved off the edge of the city’s right of way. If vehicles aren’t moved, they will be towed under an arrangement with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, town officials said.

Snow will be plowed to the right on all streets except Darrington, Fullerton and Givens streets, where the snow will be pushed to the middle of the road.

Arterials, truck routes and streets near the school and fire hall will be given top priority.

People must make their own arrangements to have their driveways and sidewalks cleared, and they must not push any snow out into the street, town officials said.

Residents also are encouraged to stock up on supplies and make a plan for driveway snow removal ahead of time.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427, gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Call the town

For more information about the town’s snow-removal plan, call the town hall at 360-436-1131 or the town shop at 360-436-1185.