Big snowfalls lay a beating on Paradise’s equipment, budget

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Global warming notwithstanding, old man winter can still pack a punch as is evidenced by the repair bills pouring into Paradise Town Hall for its snowclearing fleet.

According to councillor Patrick Martin, who outlined some of the repairs to his colleagues during last week’s public council meeting, two of the Town’s three loader mounted snow blowers have been out of service since early last year, and require extensive repairs.
Both of the D60 snow blowers experienced failure in their drive mechanisms, the parts for which were expected to take 12 months to deliver when assessed last year.
Martin added the corresponding gearboxes were no longer available, requiring the units to be upgraded to a generation three model which requires an additional $2,000 of work. The extra costs necessitated the rescinding of a previous motion which was meant to cover the repairs. Repairs for unit 34 are invoiced at $15,598, while unit 33 will cost $18,533 due to the additional work.
The blowers were expected to be back in operation late this week or early next week, pending payment of the invoices.
The heavy lifting of winter has also been punishing to one of the Town’s 2013 front end loaders, which is going in for repairs due to mechanical failures in its front lift frame.
“After an extensive inspection of the unit, the required work includes, but is not limited to, straightening bent arms of the frame, straightening linkage arms, replacing shields and bushings, and hydraulic cylinder repair,” said Martin.
Repairs to that unit will cost $22,938.
And during some routine snowclearing, the Town’s freight liner tandem dump truck incurred damage to its weight and side arm assembly, requiring structural welding. Repairs for that will run the Town some $13,531.
All the extra snow in this latter part of winter has also forced the Town to call in outside contractors to help with the cleanups. Council approved some $51,750 in bills from four contractors after the heavy snowfall that fell over eastern Newfoundland in early March.
“Unfortunately, we are facing challenges with some of our heavy equipment fleet which have broken down,” said Martin. “This situation could have heavily impacted our snow removal and clearing operations.”
The decision to bring in the contractors, who have been kept on reserve since 2023, was decided by an e-poll of councillors due to the immediate need for services. The decision to avail of the help was unanimous.