Wetty’s Plowing and Sanding in Harpswell struggled with Monday’s storm, as icy conditions sent four plow trucks sliding off the road.
“The type of storm it was — it’s been miserable,” said Nicole Chipman, Wetty’s office manager.
Employees were happy over the possibility of snow drumming up business, but extreme conditions changed their outlook. Chipman said two of their six trucks are now in the shop, leaving the company without backup vehicles.
She said poor conditions put drivers behind schedule and delayed services for many of their 300 customers. Chipman said she felt awful for the delays and worried longtime clients would grow irritated and hire someone else next season.
Robbie Moody of R. Moody & Sons Snowplowing in Brunswick said delays were inevitable considering the foot of snow that accumulated. Moody said with two trucks and 55 clients, it took 18 hours to remove the snow and ice. He said an average snowstorm with about 6 inches of snow takes eight hours to clean up, but Monday’s conditions were a game-changer.
“It was a little bit tricky,” Moody said. “Very slippery out there. We had to take our time and not rush.”
Mark Jorgensen of Jorgensen Landscaping in Arrowsic said because his clientele is primarily commercial businesses with large parking lots, his drivers didn’t have any problems.
Freeport landscaper Devin Cressey said his two plow trucks also spent over 18 hours servicing 72 properties in Freeport and Yarmouth. After the intensity of Monday’s storm, Cressey laughed and said he was done with snow and wished it would rain instead.
“I’m ready to mow lawns again,” he said.
On the heels of the first two major storms of winter, Midcoast residents can expect up to 6 more inches of snow Wednesday night, according to weather.com, and Maine’s plow drivers can expect another sleepless night.
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