By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

Several hours into clearing snow from walkways around the Salina Board of Trade Building, a long, four-foot-high mound still beckoned Chuck Leahy's shovel.

"I haven't seen it drift this much since about '82 or '83," the building superintendent said.

He had some help clearing the space around the big brick building off East Iron Avenue of up to 9 inches of snow that blew into Salina on Tuesday. Among his helpers was Doug Goetz.

"I'm not the Lone Ranger," Leahy said.

Just a snowball's throw away, Salina city workers Abbie Werth and Richard Colvin were busy clearing pedestrian walks on the Iron Avenue bridge over the Smoky Hill River channel for the second time in as many days. It was one of eight spots that needed their attention in the wake of the storm.

Werth muscled a gasoline-powered snowblower through the thick blanket of snow. Right behind him was Colvin with a shovel, sending what the machine couldn't get over the side.

It was the second time they had shoveled the walks.

"We cleared it (Tuesday) but it got plowed in," Werth said. "I don't know how much it's going to be used."

Temperatures were in the low teens by early afternoon, and there weren't many pedestrians.

"You have to have so many clothes on, then you start sweating underneath, and then it gets cold," Werth said.

Leahy, 63, was eager to complete the snow removal part of his day.

"I'm originally from Wisconsin and had all the snow I ever needed up there," he said.

City and Salina School District pickup trucks with blades on the front were darting around, moving snow in parking lots, while larger equipment was used to clear streets.

Many methods were used Wednesday to clean up from the storm. Katelyn Stromberg, 9, a virtual school fourth-grader, used a dust pan to clean the sidewalk outside of Gentle Touch Chiropractic, 100 N. Santa Fe.

"She wasn't really needing to be out there. She was just avoiding her school work," said Chiropractor Dagney Stromberg, Katelyn's mom.

"We got out there later with a snow blower," Stromberg said.

High winds cut visibility and sent some motorists to the ditch. Debra and Buz Livengood, owners of A&A Towing & Recovery, 1504 A W. North, were swamped with calls, as were other tow services in Salina.

"We are stretched way, way thin. We have three drivers and they're all busy," Debra Livengood said. "Buz was busy all night."

Some calls were for vehicles to be pulled out of the snow. Others were for breakdowns.

"We've done a couple jump starts for semis. I had a couple get irate with me," Debra said.

One man slid into the ditch on Interstate Highway 135 at the Lindsborg exit, she said. The man spent Tuesday night in a Salina hotel. The tow company freed his vehicle Wednesday morning.

Salina police officers pushed out 50 vehicles Tuesday and a number of others had to be towed, Deputy Chief Carson Mansfield said.

Street and road conditions were improving Wednesday afternoon in Salina and north-central Kansas.

"The arterial streets look great. The sunshine has helped, but we're going to lose it in a hurry," said Duane Zook, Salina street superintendent.

The crews were starting to clear side streets and were clearing snow from intersections to major thoroughfares.

Interstate highways are "mostly clear in the driving lanes, with a clear wheel path in the passing lanes," said David Greiser, public affairs manager for District Two of the Kansas Department of Transportation, based in Salina.

All of the roads and highways were open.

"There is quite a bit of snow on many routes, especially in the northern tier (of the district) where they got about a foot of snow," Greiser said. "We're still working on clearing snow during regular working hours."

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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