Open letter from local resident Tim Flinn:
The case for a Garvald Village mini snow plough.
Thanks to Crystal Rigg money we can now afford a mini snow plough of our own. It would be used to clear the roads and pavements and accesses and entrances untouched by the Council machine. (Think about Westpoint, Burnside Court, the New School House, Africa, Kirkbrae, the village hall, and also of kids having to walk on the road; and push chairs, etc.). Many of us are too old, weak, ill, young, busy, or whatever else, to keep shovelling ourselves and neighbours out of trouble. And then there’s the problem of the huge ridges of snow left by the Council machines.
A simple solution is whenever a snowfall is forecast for a volunteer to tow to Garvald the snowplough on its trailer from whichever farmer is kind enough to garage it when not needed. Other volunteers, suitably trained and insured, will take turns in doing the clearing. If no one volunteers then we can pay someone. The snow can be dumped on the green, the park, empty spaces or in the woods. A tarpaulin would protect the plough when not in use when on stand-by in Garvald (perhaps on the village green).
Insurance, servicing and any fees would be paid for by the Community Council from Crystal Rigg funds. A CC member would undertake this duty and see to a duty roster, etc. The machine will be available to other parts of the parish and also to Morham. It could be hired out, too.
David Walls has commented:
“Mini plough for village? Great idea… Whoever thought of it is a genius.
Hendersons (I’m not an agent) in Haddington had excellent machines in stock last year… the two-wheel tractor, Tracmaster. I have one of these. They are built like tanks and will run for 30 years if looked after (diesel version). But do get the electric start. There are several versions, but for the amount of work there would be you would need the largest… the 740. It’s a heavy machine, so needs a strong arm. There are all sorts of attachments, grass cutters, snow ploughs, rotovators, etc., so it could maybe be rented out to pay for itself, rather than have it sitting around doing nothing for a year, which would not be good for it. It’s around £4,000 for the machine and implements come it ranging from the £500 to £1,000 mark. A snow blower is just under £1,000. It would be powerful enough to do the hills out of Garvald, plus there is a salter/gritter attachment.”
Have a look:
- http://www.tracmaster.co.uk/BCS_Two_Wheel_Tractor/740.html
- http://www.tracmaster.co.uk/Snow_Blower.html
- http://www.tracmaster.co.uk/BCS_Implements/Snow_Clearance.html.
Obviously people need to think about snags and problems. These must be discussed, so it would help greatly if those raising objections also raised suitable solutions!
Please contact your friendly local Garvald and Morham Community Councillor via the contact form on the GMCC webpage, or add to the comments at the bottom of this blog post, if you wish us to have a mini snow plough.
Thanks,
Tim Flinn.
