With the wintery mix forecast for Wednesday still an unknown, Cobleskill Highway Superintendent Tom Fissell said Monday the weather’s getting expensive.
“It’s been an unusual winter,” he said, with these freeze, thaw cycles. “Water gets down in some of these roads and when it cracks…well. Our paving plans might have to change because of conditions we have no control over.”
The Highway Department has already been out six times so far this year,” said Deputy Highway Superintendent Jeff Eckler; the last two years the crew was out 78 and 77 times respectively by season’s end.
“There’s been an extreme amount of ice,” Mr. Eckler said. “It’s been an unusual winter.”
Mr. Fissell ran through some of the increasing expenses he’s facing for Supervisor Roger Cohn and councilmen.
Fuel oil, which the town gets on state contract, was 40 cents a gallon 10 years ago.
In 2003, it was $1.36; now, it’s $2.63.
Gasoline was 38 cents a gallon in 1998, $1.07 in ’03, and today, $2.45 a gallon.
Diesel was 39 cents a gallon in ’98, $1.40 in ’03, and now? $2.92.
“This all plays into our operating costs, the roads, and how we do our work,” Mr. Fissell said.
“What we could do 12 miles of road for in 2005, in 2007, we can only do eight.”