By Lea Kahn
With two more weeks until Punxsutawney Phil pops his head out and determines how much winter is left, Lawrence Township has already spent $60,000 on three snowstorms as of Jan. 8, according to township officials.
The first of three snowstorms occurred Dec. 26, and the other two happened earlier this month, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said. The amount of money spent on material and labor for the latest snowstorm, which occurred earlier this week, has not been determined.
”The way snow removal operations goes into effect is really dictated by the type of storm,” Mr. Krawczun said. “In the Jan. 8 storm, one difference is that although we began salt operations (applying salt to the road surfaces), it was not until much later in the event that we dropped the snowplow blades. You need 3 or 4 inches of snow (for a snowplow) to be effective.”
But the snowstorms are going to have an impact on the budget, he said. Although the proposed 2011 municipal budget has not been released to Township Council, the preliminary appropriation for snow removal is $115,000.
However, there is $97,000 left over from the 2010 snow removal budget, Mr. Krawczun said. That money has been set aside in a dedicated trust fund, which means it can only be used for snow removal.
The $97,000 in the snow removal trust fund, combined with the $115,000 that has unofficially been allocated for 2011, means township officials have a combined $212,000 at their disposal for snow removal, he said.
So far, the township has spent $60,000, which leaves it with an available balance of $152,000. Whether that is enough money to get through the first couple of months in 2011 and the last month of the year remains to be seen, Mr. Krawczun said.
”It all depends on the weather,” he said.

