GUELPH\ERAMOSA — The township needs additional staff to maintain historic sidewalk snow-clearing levels this winter.
Approved at a Guelph\Eramosa Committee of the Whole Monday morning, the township has decided to investigate whether to extend an existing seasonal parks contract into a full-time position to assist with operating a second sidewalk plow and ensure "timely clearing" of snow from township sidewalks, trails and the Rockmosa outdoor walking track.
According to a staff report, additional staff time is required as clearing all sidewalks including the walking trail will not be possible within 24 hours based on "current staff and equipment allocation" once the final three kilometres of sidewalk at the Bonarrow Development on Fourth Line is assumed.
"It's not like we're just expanding the service...we are a town of kids and a lot of these places along the main highway and stuff really need to be plowed especially when the transports and stuff are going by," said Mayor Chris White, at the meeting.
While a formal level of service policy has not been established for snow on township sidewalks, staff said it has historically maintained a level of service above the minimum provincial requirements since before amalgamation.
All sidewalks within Rockwood and Eden Mills are typically cleared of snow within 24 hours or the same day following an overnight or early morning snow event as per the township's historic levels of service, said staff.
Director of Public Works Harry Niemi said extending the contract to full-time will impact general taxation, with the additional hours working out to approximately $40,000.
Alternatively, hiring a seasonal worker for 20 weeks would similarly impact the 2026 budget, said staff in the report.
If the contract isn't extended, staff recommended reducing service levels with the township prioritizing main sidewalks and school routes with other residential areas and Eden Mills to follow. Other suggestions included setting an accumulation depth of 4 cm or less on secondary sidewalks.
Public Works is currently responsible for plowing 23.8 km of sidewalks and trails in Rockwood and Eden Mills.
Staff will return with a report at a future meeting.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
