Marblehead snow removal budget spent

MARBLEHEAD-Marblehead may have sidestepped a December snowfall record but the bills are still piling up.The town has spent $127,230 on snow removal so far this year, almost all of its $130,000 budget.Those who recall the Dec. 30 weather forecasts of a possible record snowfall for the month know that Boston had 26.9 inches of snow for the month – one inch less than the 1970 record – and less than an inch of snow fell in the Dec. 31 storm.However, the non-record snowfall still made a big difference compared to last year, when Boston got less than an inch of snow in December, followed by an inch in January and less than five inches in February. Marblehead spent its $130,000 snow removal budget by the end of February. This year it was gone by Dec. 31.Much of the snow this December piled up during three significant snowfalls between Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, leaving streets all but impassable and prompting selectmen to declare a snow emergency so the public works employees could dump the snow in the ocean.For budget purposes, public works directors like Dana Snow are aware that even when there isn?t enough snow to plow, the streets still require sanding and salting.Town Administrator Tony Sasso points out that he and Finance Director John McGinn have included a $220,000 cushion in the Fiscal 2009 budget to cover any potential deficit, like snow removal.?We saw how the winter was going,” Sasso said.