Last year’s significant snowfall inspired Peace River town council at its Sept. 14 regular meeting to purchase a new snow wing to use in its fleet.
“The old blade was damaged and required repair or replacement,” explains Peace River Mayor Shelly Shannon.
“The cost to repair the old blade was significant, making the replacement avenue the most cost-effective approach, particularly taking into consideration the added features of this new blade.”
The new implement is an HLA 5203 Series 10-foot to 16-foot snow wing with Carbide Gen 2 blade and will be used by public works for winter maintenance operations.
“Regularly replacing equipment when it reaches the end of its useful life helps ensure we can continue providing reliable, high-quality service to residents,” Shannon says.
“It reduces the risk of breakdowns and service delays while ensuring our crews have reliable, effective equipment to get the job done efficiently, particularly during critical operations such as snow removal.”
Shannon explains last year’s significant snowfall contributed largely to the wear on the previous blade. She says snow removal is hard on the equipment and regular wear over time is expected.
She adds replacing the blade ensures public works crews are well-equipped to provide reliable and efficient snow removal service.
“This new blade has additional features and is compatible with our existing equipment,” says Shannon.
“This new blade has hydraulic wings, allowing crews to adjust the blade and close off the sides when passing driveways and sidewalks, helping reduce snow being pushed into driveways or onto sidewalks and improving the overall efficiency and quality of snow removal.”
Cost for the new snow wing is approximately $41,952.75.
Council has decided to use proceeds from a fleet auction where they managed to recoup $52,217 from old equipment.
“The auction proceeds came from the sale of capital equipment that had reached the end of its useful life and would otherwise have been placed in a reserve for future capital needs,” Shannon says.
“Using those funds for the snow blade was a practical way to reinvest those proceeds into a current equipment need while supporting ongoing operations.”
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter