At their most-recent meeting, the Superior City Council voted in the affirmative, clearing the path towards purchasing sidewalk snow removal equipment. The vote inches the city towards city sidewalk clearing services - at least along the Safer Routes To School paths.

According to details from the Superior Telegram, a bid from Prinoth Ltd of Granby, Quebec, Canada came in at $175,569 - considerably lower than the original budgeted amount.  During a review process last year, the Superior City Council had budgeted $250,000 for the snow removal equipment. This bid represents a price almost $75,000 under budget. The bid price is the one that the council voted to act on.

Once the equipment piece is in place, the city will use it to remove snow from sidewalks - primarily along the pre-determined Safer Routes To School paths. Those walking routes represent about 26 miles worth of sidewalks throughout the city.  Snow removal is always an important part of the winter calendar in these areas due to the safety needs of children  as they make their way to school.  Often - when the sidewalks aren't clear - the students are forced to walk their route in the street - which creates a safety concern for everyone involved.

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The article details that the city has created a full time position to operate that equipment - with hours recovered from "eliminating three seasonal positions in the Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department".  This position will be available to staff the snow removal equipment in the winter months.

Long-term residents of the Twin Ports - especially those who lived or were familiar with Superior - might remember that the city used to clear sidewalks.  Back then the program used to include pathways that weren't considered necessarily school routes.

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