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Snow removal race intensifies as temperature drop nears
On Thursday night, snow removal efforts in West Bend picked up speed, racing against Mother Nature as colder temperatures creeped in.
WEST BEND, Wis. - Milwaukee's surrounding counties are again dealing with several inches of snowfall Thursday, Feb. 4 -- the second round in less than a week.
The additional snow is bringing work for snow removal companies, and a little fun for families, too.
A mountain of snow from past storms is a common sight in parking lots. This time around, whoever had a shovel -- or a plow -- got outside quickly.
Around 5:30 p.m., Forrest Peterson made quick work of his empty parking lot, crisscrossing the pavement in a matter of minutes with the help of Extra Mile Snow Plowing's heavy machinery.
"We run a really small area here in West Bend, five-mile radius. Big equipment, lots of accounts that are right next to each other, which makes it super efficient," Peterson, operations manager with Extra Mile Snow Plowing, said.
Extra Mile Snow Plowing clears a lot in West Bend
On Thursday night, the speed was intentional. Peterson and his team of dozens are trying to plow as many client properties as they can early on -- a race against colder temperatures headed their way.
"With this going from the barely freezing to negative temperatures in a very short amount of time, it's get these cleared off and get a de-icing product on them as quick as possible," Peterson said.
Extra Mile Snow Plowing clears a lot in West Bend
Resident Wally Florez was outside with his shovel, too, sculpting a snow fort that has been in the works for weeks.
"Every year, I get a different idea. Something different. I wanna put windows in it, have a Nerf war out here with the kids once it warms up," Florez said.
Wally Florez builds a snow fort
The process for Florez is simple: fill up a bucket, then assemble -- with a little extra snow to make it stick.
"It's finally wet enough snow to pack it so it's a lot better to pack than this fluffy snow we've been having," said Florez.
Florez, too, was trying to beat the cold Thursday. He hopes the big freeze can shore up his foundation before the next big storm.
It's all good fun, but again, with that cold front making its way in, Peterson said the sooner you can clear your sidewalks and driveways of snow the better.
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