Multimillion-dollar windrow program clears 'minimal number’ of Richmond Hill driveways during first snowfall

“We did not get any windrow removal but did get the sidewalk plowed twice," a resident says.

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 26, 2019
Sheila Wang

The City of Richmond Hill wasn't ready for the early November snow, but should be ready for the next one now that it has ironed out the kinks.

A new city-wide windrow removal initiative got off to a rough start Nov. 12 as all 35 windrow clearing machines broke down due to hydraulic issues after the first significant snowfall.

The problems occurred about an hour after the equipment were dispatched, spokesperson Ash O’Malley wrote in an email Nov. 21.

“A minimal number of driveways received windrow removal service. We apologize for the inconvenience,” the spokesperson wrote.

The over $4 million program that is intended to clear off the pile of snow at the end of the driveway across the city has now resumed after the city has had the machines repaired.

The city is expected to service about 43,490 driveways in total in the event of significant snowfall but it could not provide the exact number of driveways that it cleared in the last snow.

A number of Richmond Hill residents told The Liberal that they never received any windrow clearing service on their streets so far, and some of them didn’t know the new program has started.

“We did not get any windrow removal but did get the sidewalk plowed twice, where the second time was clearly not necessary,” said resident Peter Dennis.

Dennis was eligible for the previous windrow clearing program that was provided for older adults and people with disability.

In April, council decided to expand the program to all residents in the city on the grounds of the growing need in the community.

The city purchased 35 snow windrow clearing machines in 2019 -- costing $4,962,000 in total -- fully paid by development charges, according to O’Malley.

Regional Councillor Joe DiPaola who put forward the motion proposed to fund its cost in 2019 through Richmond Hill's reserve funds.

The spokesperson wrote that the manufacturer covered the repair costs so there was no cost to the city.

Residents are expected to be able to track the plows online at RichmondHill.ca/RHplows by mid-December.