Should the GLA purchase another snow plowing truck?

In respect to buying a second plow, I would like to point out that low SG always gets plowed after NG.  Therefore the residents of low SG do not have the benefit of having plowed or sanded roads when they leave for work or take their children to the bus stop--benefits that NG has every time there is ice and snow.  Walter opens up Dry Creek road early in the morning, but the landowners from low SG have to be able to get there.  So I think it would be a good idea to get the landowners in low SG to weigh in on whether being plowed after NG works for them or not.  The reason that the GLA bought a second truck years ago was because having to wait until the plowing/sanding was done in NG did not work well for low SG landowners.  It was not based on response time during an occasional snow storm as we had this week.

NG and SG paid for both GLA trucks and the repairs for the current one.  Therefore in my opinion, if the GLA buys a second truck, the costs should be split between NG and SG.  This also goes for the repairs that are needed for the sander that is on the scrapped GLA truck.  This second sander is not operational and apparently needs costly repairs. Both NG and SG funds were used to pay for the extensive repairs the current truck, plow and sander needed.   Furthermore, I believe the GLA should own both trucks, with one being parked in NG and the other in SG, both used wherever needed.  Otherwise we will have an accounting nightmare keeping track of the costs, if SG needs to use the NG truck and vice versa for plowing and/or sanding.   All of the hours will have to be tracked and overhead costs will have to be prorated and separated out.  While SG at his point does have a lot of money in its road fund, one needs to consider the present state of the SG gravel roads.  Hercules is down to bedrock in a lot of places.  Arcturus is in a constant state of washboard.  Most of the side roads have received little or no maintenance.  Most roads need proper ditches for drainage to prevent further erosion. Some roads could use guardrails. Even with the extra road money both SG and NG are getting due to the early loan payoff, it is not enough to get all of the roads into reasonable shape.  There is talk of treating Arcturus with an environmentally product to prevent washboard.  It will take most, if not all of the SG Road Fund money to prep Arcturus properly, apply the product and do the necessary follow up applications. 

The benefits of having two GLA trucks as I see it, would be that low SG would get the same timely service that NG enjoys, there would be less wear and tear on the trucks and there would be a back up truck with sander, if one is out for repair.  None of the back up contractors have sanders and no contractors in the valley have sanders anymore.  The only option for deicing is mag chloride.  The GLA had to resort to this twice two years ago, because the truck was out for repair.  It cost almost $500 for each application.  Of course there is also the consideration of damage to the vehicles by corrosion caused by mag chloride and damage to the environment.

But the question at hand is, if these benefits outweigh the costs. I believe the answer to that question will depend on where a given landowner lives and what the needs are regarding road use--do landowners have a job to go to, children to take to the bus stop or school events, have clients come to their house for services, or are they retired with a flexible schedule. 

What are the other options, besides buying a truck?  Tim suggested (see comment above) that Walter "volunteer" the use of his truck with the V plow for plowing Upper Hercules and Sag Skyway and Sag Place as the only alternative to the GLA buying a second truck.

First I would like to respond to Tim's statement that to his knowledge Walter has never used his V-plow past the Scorpio/Polaris/Hercules intersection: Last Thanksgiving Day Walter spend six hours helping out neighbours and plowing Upper Hercules and Sag Skyway with his Vplow, because the GLA back up employee and back up contractor both refused to plow, because it was a holiday. Fred was out of town. Walter also used his V plow to remove slush on both roads on at least five occasions at no charge. Walter has helped out neighbours and landowners in High South, low South and even NG at all hours of the day and night using whatever plow did the job. As for the 3/4 ton truck with a second Vplow that Walter purchased last summer, that has not been in service anywhere except for one trial run, because the truck and plow needed repairs. Walter just picked the truck up yesterday.

We pay an employee to open up Hercules from the Polaris/Hercules intersection and Dry Creek Road, if necessary with whatever plow does the job Monday through Friday, except on holidays .  But we are not in the snow plowing business and not able or willing to take on the responsibility for plowing Hercules seven days a week, Upper Hercules, Sag Skyway, Sag Place, Scorpio, all of Polaris, and Libra. All of our trucks are owned by the company.  Personal use helping out neighbours is prorated and Walter, as the owner of our company, has personal liability for damage etc. .  If we would "volunteer" the use of any of our trucks, as Tim suggested to plow all of high South, who would be operating them?  A GLA employee, a volunteer landowner?  Who would be liable for any damage and wear and tear to the truck/plow or any accident while plowing?  According to Montana law the owner of the vehicle is liable for any accident regardless of who is operating it at the time of the accident.  We are not willing to put ourselves in that position and do not feel that is a reasonable request or suggestion.

In the past the GLA hired then board member and Sag Place landowner Rich Spallone to plow Upper Hercules and Sag Skyway (and Hercules on weekends, holidays and evenings, if necessary), Libra, Scorpio and Polaris on a contract basis. 

So if it works for low SG landowners to be plowed/sanded after NG, an alternative to buying a second trucks would be to find a contractor with the necessary equipment to do Upper Hercules, Sag Skyway and Place, Libra, Scorpio, Polaris and Hercules, if necessary, if the GLA truck is too busy doing NG and low SG on a given day.  If there is a storm like the one this week, volunteers can certainly make a difference in opening up side roads and driveways.  But I believe they should not be relied on to open up the main arteries in NG and SG and keep them reasonably open.  They could be ill, out of town or their equipment could be down.  There should be enough back up contractors with the proper equipment to help out the GLA plow truck, if there is only one truck. Having Fred put in a 15 hour day as he did this week is not fair to him or safe as a long term solution, in my opinion.

There is another option to consider, if low SG landowners are satisfied with the current arrangement. "High" South is last in line for plowing due to population density and Upper Hercules and Sag Skyway are last on the main artery plowing list.   In the Scorpio/Polaris/Hercules neighborhood four other landowners, besides us have invested in heavy duty plows.  That way they can plow their own driveways, the stretch of road to get to Hercules and Hercules on weekends, holidays and evenings and get to their appointments, work etc. in a timely manner or home late at night in event of substantial snow forecast late in the day.  Maybe the landowners on Upper Hercules and Sag Skyway could consider this option for themselves, if the wait for the GLA truck is too long? Or all chip in and buy a truck and plow jointly to open up the roads in their neighborhoods?  Then the GLA truck could come at a later time or the next day day to widen the road. They could also "volunteer" the use of their truck to the GLA for a SG GLA snow employee to come up the mountain and do this cleanup work, if they do not mind the liability involved.  That would not only expedite the service, but save the GLA having to pay for the trip from NG to SG and back, free up the GLA truck for other work and save on wear and tear on the GLA truck.