PennDOT said it will save nearly a million dollars in our area this year all because of last year's mild winter.
The amount of snow and ice we received last year was below normal.
Bill Forato owns a used car lot in Hazleton and was thankful for the lack of snow.
“It's one thing to brush one car off in the morning, but to do 20, that can get a little monotonous if you have repeated snowfalls in the past. I remember we had snow every other day, constantly moving the cars to plow the snow, and finding a spot to even keep the snow,” said Dominic Forato, N.F.R. Auto Sales.
When it comes to salt and cinders, communities in our area are saving a lot.
They’re saving because of less need to put anti-skid and salt on roadways. West Hazleton saved $8,000.
“Every penny counts in a borough like this, especially the financial situation we're in so it really helps out a lot. We're happy about it,” said Mayor Frank Schmidt of West Hazleton.
The city of Hazleton has a good supply of material for the roads, again thanks to the mild winter.
“We did have the 300 ton surplus, and for this year we're undecided. Do we cut back on the tonnage that we’re going to be required to take, or do we keep the same amount? That`s a decision we didn't make yet,” said Frank Vito of the Hazleton Public Works Department.
We're way ahead, and hopefully we'll even be better, and what we plan on doing is maybe using that $8,000 for more equipment here,” said Mayor Schmidt.
Nature is unpredictable. That means any savings from last season could be eaten up if we get a lot of snow and ice this time around.