BLIZZARD GOING TO COST THE CITY A PRETTY PENNY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 23, 1993                   TAG: 9303230317
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
BLIZZARD GOING TO COST THE CITY A PRETTY PENNY
Trees lining streets are pretty, but they make it tough to clear snow and ice.
So says City Manager Bob Herbert after the biggest snowstorm of the century in Roanoke.
"We are proud of our tree-lined streets, but the trees shelter the streets, blocking out the sunlight," he told City Council on Monday.
By contrast, there are few large trees in suburban neighborhoods in Roanoke County, Herbert said. As a result, he explained, the packed snow and ice on those streets melted faster because the light was not blocked.
Herbert said the large buildings in downtown also shaded streets, slowing the melting.
Herbert acknowledged that the city had "some trouble areas " where it took longer to clear the streets than he would have preferred. But he defended the city's overall performance.
"I believe our employees did a good job," he said.
Some city residents have called to praise the city. Others have complained.
Herbert said the city hopes to benefit from the lessons of the snow and do a better job next time.
Cleanup cost the city $250,000 in overtime for city employees and chemicals, he said.
If Western Virginia is declared to be a federal disaster area, the city hopes to be reimbursed for 75 percent of the cost, Herbert said. Some state funds may also be available to help cover costs.
About 100 drivers for snowplow equipment worked 5,400 hours of overtime to clear the 1,100 lane miles of streets from March 13 to March 18, he said.
The city hauled 369 dump-truck loads of snow from downtown after the crews had finished clearing residential streets and main thoroughfares, he said.
Herbert said many trees on city property were damaged during the storm and estimated it will take city crews several weeks to clean up the debris.
Snow removal and other costs associated with the recent storm could run between $3 million and $4 million in the 12-county Salem District alone, Allen Williams, the district's maintenance engineer, said Monday.
"We still have costs coming in because we haven't finished everything yet," Williams said.
He expects more precise estimates by the end of the week.
Daniel Howes contributed to this report.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB