By Monday morning, Victoria public works crews had the snow mostly cleared from city streets, but it was no easy feat. Staff worked ’round the clock for three days, and borrowed more hands from parks and concrete crews to help clear the snow.At its peak, 55 people were contributing to the effort, said spokesperson Katie Josephson. The city also looked outside its employees for additional help. It hired four tandems and two flaggers to haul and clean up snow piles in the city core, she added. In total, the job cost $193,000, but it paid off — the city didn’t receive a single complaint.One crew continues to repair potholes that resulted from the snow. The snowfall, which produced 15 to 20 cm of snow in 12 hours Feb. 23 was paired with temperatures that dipped to -13 C with the wind chill. Although only about a quarter of the student population showed up at Vic High on the snowy Wednesday, Oak Bay High had a better turnout. About 50 per cent of the 1,200-plus student body showed up for classes. All Camosun College students received an e-mail from president Kathryn Laurin on Thursday explaining why they weren’t notified until 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday that classes would be cancelled that day. The lack of up-to-date information on the college’s website meant many students made their way to the Lansdowne and Interurban campuses, only to find classes were cancelled.Laurin’s e-mail said facilities staff were out at 5 a.m. Wednesday morning and found little snow. But after Environment Canada posted a warning just before 9 a.m. the president decided to close the college.rholmen@vicnews.com

Victoria News