Meet Mr. Plow

The Hard Workers of Snow Removal in the High Country

Story by Anna Oakes and Corinne Saunders

Watauga County DOT trucks push snow off Highway 321. Snow plows and other machinery for snow removal have been constantly running in the High Country since December 18, as workers battle Old Man Winter to keep roads usable. Photo by Randy Johnson

Although it feels far from over, this winter’s snowfall thus far has taxed not only people’s patience but has also demanded much from the equipment used for plowing snow, as well as from those who operate the crucial machinery that keeps the High Country running.

High Country Press was interested in this winter’s workload through the eyes of the “snow plow guys,” and what they had to say follows.

Bobby Hicks has been a Town of Boone Public Works maintenance worker for the past six years. He enjoys helping keep downtown Boone sidewalks salted and plowed, he said. Photo submitted

Bobby Hicks, Town of Boone
“I think [this winter] ain’t as bad as ’93, but it has been one of the worst ones in five to 10 years,” said Bobby Hicks, who has been a Town of Boone Public Works maintenance worker for the past six years.

Nonetheless, Hicks enjoys his job, he said.

“I like working with the tractors and…helping the town [by] keeping sidewalks salted and plowed.”

This winter has been more demanding than most, in terms of snow removal. Nightshift maintenance workers have hauled significant loads of snow out of downtown Boone “three or four times,” he said.

Hicks is on the dayshift sidewalk crew, he said, along with three others.

“We’ve been pulling 12-hour shifts, [from] 7:00 [a.m.] to 7:00 [p.m.],” he said, explaining that, barring significant snowfall, shifts are usually from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 or 5:00 p.m.

In the past two weeks, Hicks worked 50 overtime hours, he said.

“I think we’ve had two or three days off since December 18,” he said. “This past weekend we got off.

“This is the most overtime I’ve had with the town [and I’m] going on seven years with the town,” he said. “We’ve had a time with the snow.”

Hicks is in charge of “the right side [sidewalk] going uptown,” he said.

He uses a tractor to “push snow,” unless it is too deep, in which case he uses a snowblower, he added.

The machinery, especially this winter, has taken a beating.

“They do tear up like anything would tear up if you’re using it all the time,” Hicks said of the equipment, adding that he “busted a hose uptown” and had to replace a tire and blades, but hasn’t “tore up” anything significant.

Originally from Boone, Hicks got married and moved to Tennessee, he said. While living there, he worked in a furniture factory in Lenoir until it was about to shut down. That’s when he applied to work for the Town of Boone.

“It’s a good place to work for,” he said.

Besides pushing snow, he also “hauls brush”—especially recently, in the aftermath of the December ice storm—and operates the grapple truck and weed eater, he said.

Hicks cautioned people to take their time driving in the snow and watch for ice, he said, adding that he has seen several fender-benders from the slick road conditions.

Snow plow operators have been hard at work since the first snowstorm of the season hit the High Country on December 18.

David Welch, Watauga County DOT
David Welch, a crew leader with Watauga County Department of Transportation (DOT), has worked for DOT for the past 32 years, he said, and has seen three or four comparable winters in that time.

The winter of 1993-94 was “the last time like this,” Welch said, adding that snowfall has “been a little more than usual, but [this winter has been] more like it used to be.”

Welch is in charge of salting and plowing “Highway 421 toward Deep Gap—about 22 or 23 miles of main road and the side roads off it,” he said.

Welch, who works five days a week, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. when it is not snowing, has been pulling 12-hour shifts from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., seven days a week, he said.

Because of the snowfall, DOT has had to rent additional equipment and “everyone who works here pushes snow,” he said.

“Hired trucks come help,” added the Boone native.

In the summer, Welch oversees the “ditching or shouldering crew,” he said.

Welch also said drivers “just need to slow down and be a little more careful when it’s snowing.”

John Harris and Greg Cratch, Private Snow Plow Operators
John M. Harris is the owner of Dreamscapes of Boone, a landscaping company that provides snow removal services in the winter for properties in the Boone and Blowing Rock areas. He’s been in the business for at least 10 years.

“We’re on call 24 hours a day throughout the winter,” Harris said.

Harris and his employees serve hotels, restaurants, property owners’ associations, apartment complexes and individual residences. His vehicles and equipment include landscaping trucks, one-ton snow removal trucks with plows and salt spreaders, snow blowers, backpack blowers and skid steers.

“It’s been a really frustrating season because of the continuous amount of snow we’ve been getting,” Harris said.

On one occasion this winter, Harris’ crew worked 30 hours straight.

“I’ll say this, it’s been war since December 18,” said Greg Cratch, who helps Harris with his snow removal business in the winter. “John and I, plus the rest of our crew, have worked at least a half dozen shifts since then that exceeded 20 hours in duration.”

Cratch said the crew is feeling very worn down. “Sleep no longer replaces what has been expended,” he said.

The plowing business doesn’t just begin when the snow starts falling, Harris noted.

“The funny thing is, I have people who just assume that I just jump in the truck and start working,” he said. “It’s more preparation than that.” The snow removal workers need to know ahead of time what type of snow will fall—whether it will be heavy and wet or powdery and dry. Vehicles must be inspected and prepared and salt must be ordered. Harris also contacts his customers to let them know his plan of attack.

“I most likely will spend anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 before the snowfall event has even occurred, just preparing,” he said.

As the head of his business, Harris has to strike a balance between his customers’ needs and the safety of his employees. In the case of high winds and whiteout conditions, he’ll sometimes put up his employees in a hotel and tell them to get some sleep and to start again in the morning.

“The safety of my guys is the most important thing,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s just a property; it’s just snow.”

The business has its highs and lows. Harris said he enjoys the camaraderie between his crew members and being alone on the roads at night, taking a moment to enjoy the quiet and beauty of a snowfall. But he also misses out on opportunities to play in the snow with his young son.

And, he said, “most people think you’re making a lot of money, but…it’s not a low-cost service at all.” Plows cost $5,000 apiece, and plowing causes considerable wear-and-tear on vehicles; Harris has already replaced two axles this winter. Harris and his employees suffer from fatigue from long hours on the road—sometimes, their eyelids, laden with sweat, will even freeze.

“It’s not glamorous,” Harris said. “It’s a really tough, cold job.”

Harris has advice for other drivers: slow down, don’t rush in bad conditions and leave plenty of following distance between your vehicle and a snow plow truck.

Party in the Works for Town Workers

John Mena, owner of Haircut 101 in Boone, is currently organizing a party for the “Snowmen of Boone,” he said.

Mena wanted to throw the party for Town of Boone employees and their families because the “snowmen” are putting in long hours and doing a great job keeping roads usable and sidewalks clear “so we can have business as usual,” he said.

“They’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty, putting in 12-hour shifts,” he said. “I wanted to do something special for these guys.”

A date has not been set, but it will take place at Beef’O’Brady’s in Boone because “Mark Lewis of Beef’O’Brady’s was more than happy to host the event,” Mena said.

Haynes Boren of Footsloggers thought the party was a great idea, and agreed to set up a bank account with Mena.

Interested persons can donate to the account, either by bringing a check designated for the “Snowmen of Boone” to Haircut 101 or depositing funds into the account of the same name, which people can do at any High Country Bank location, Mena said.

All funds will go toward the party, and any leftover monies will be given to the “snowmen” in the forms of gift certificates to local eateries, Mena added.

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