Webster/Ontario N.Y. - The lack of snow this winter has given road crews and highway departments a head start on work that they usually wouldn't be able to do until the spring.
"It's beautiful, it's beautiful out," said Ontario Highway Superintendent Jerry Santangelo on Monday.
With temperatures pushing 50 degrees and no snow in sight, Jerry and other highway supervisors across Western New York have saved thousands of dollars on snow removal budgets that are usually dwindling by this time in February.
"It can stay like this as far as I'm concerned," the 56-year-old adds.
Jerry has had to pay out very little overtime for 2012 and he's also saved on fuel and labor costs since his men aren't out plowing snow for days on end.
There is a catch though, the town of Ontario also plows roads for Wayne County which brings in an extra $80,000 in revenue for the town but so far that number has been closer to $40,000.
"That's obviously not materializing this year," Jerry added.
Down the road in Webster road crews were replacing a drainage pipe under Lake Road, a job they usually can't get to until April or May.
"Phil saw his shadow and that means six more weeks of this? That's fine with me!" says Joseph Herbst, Superintendent of Highways for the town of Webster.
Herbst also says the lack of snow has meant an unusual increase of calls to his office from people asking to have road kill removed from town streets. Skunks, he says have usually hibernated by this time of the year but the warm temperatures have kept them out longer and decreased their life expectancy.
"This was one of the first Superbowl weekends where we didn't have to worry about drivers being called in."
