Depending on the location, there is some snow on the ground in our area, but not as much as other years, which has kept the snowplows and brine trucks in the garage and salt mostly unused.
"Having no snow has just been really odd for us," said Alex Hegeman, the Oneida County Highway Commissioner.
Despite this, those who would otherwise be treating roads for snow and ice are not just doing nothing this season.
"In our down time we're out cutting trees, filling potholes, and things like that, so there's plenty of stuff for us to do, but we are definitely ready to go whenever winter decides to show up," Hegeman said.
This winter's relative lack of snow hasn't deviated too far from seasons past, as Wausau Public Works Superintendent Dustin Kraege says January has often been their biggest month.
As for the materials and machinery that have gone mostly unused, officials say there are few disadvantages for not mobilizing as much.
It's also a challenge to know how much sand to prepare and how much salt to order when the decisions on supply are often made months in advance.
"We've got a very large pile of material sitting out there ready to go for this winter that we're just not going through...We have to place our salt order in May or June of last year," Hegeman said.
Luckily, salt and sand can keep over time and there's no penalty for storing them over the summer; anything not used during the winter will be taken into account for how much to prepare for the next winter season.
There's also some advantage to having a drier and warmer winter season, from the perspective of maintaining the vehicles departments use.
"Obviously, plow trucks and sanders, they're high maintenance equipment, they take a lot of time for our mechanics and parts to keep them running so the less we use them, obviously it saves money there," Kraege said.
While there haven't been as many opportunities to see the trucks in action this season, they'll likely be out this winter at some point, and when they are, give them space.
"If you're tailgating us, 10 times out of 10 we're not going to be able to see you, so we just ask that you give us room to work," Hegeman said.
