COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah -- City leaders in Cottonwood Heights want the city to be the first to get public works done outside of the Salt Lake City jurisdiction, and they're starting with snow removal.
Every winter, as snow piles up on 125 miles of road in Cottonwood Heights, so does the cost to remove it.
"In a heavy snow removal year we have to use more dollars for snow removal because that's an immediate need, and sometimes there's less money to do road maintenance," said Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore.
The city budgets nearly $2 million a year for snow removal and other road projects, but that money can go quickly. The city has contracted with Salt Lake County in the past, but are now switching to a private company called Terracare.
"It was challenging because, depending on when the snow came, the cost could be very different," Cullimore said. "With this contract we believe we can avoid some of that and maybe equalize the cost."
This will be Terracare's first venture in Utah. Terracare will also handle pavement management, traffic signs, road maintenance, concrete replacement, storm drain maintenance and other general public works duties for the city. They do similar work in Colorado and California.
