The worst time is first light.

That's when Matt Zug's eyes start to get heavy after working all night. Zug, 27, of Willow Street, plows snow for Andrews Excavating Inc. He's done this winter work for nine years, but this year is different.

In March it will be a year since he was laid off as an excavator for Andrews, so he is happy for the paycheck.

"They know I am willing to do it," he said. "When you are unemployed you can't refuse the work.

"I think I do enjoy the snow, but after a while I do get weary. I don't want to say I'm not grateful [for the work], but it does get monotonous."

While municipalities are taking a budget beating on snow removal, the storms have given landscapers and equipment operators, like Zug, a stimulus package, after layoffs and less work in 2009 made it hard to pay bills. The deep snowfalls this season have been a big payday for those who have traded digging dirt for pushing snow.

"You nailed it with the last part," said Keith Pinker of H.L. Wiker Excavating Inc. "With the weather we are not able to push the earth. This enables us to keep the lights on."

An average of 40 inches fell on the county during a seven-day stretch, making the first two weeks of February 2010 the worst winter attack by Mother Nature since the blizzard of 1996. After a nor'easter dropped about 2 feet of weekend snow, an Arctic clipper hit, depositing another 19 inches of new snow within 72 hours.

AccuWeather reports 61.5 inches of measurable snow this season for Lancaster, an increase of more than 40 inches from last winter's total of 20.4 inches.

Chris Shimer, owner of Shimer Landscape in Manheim, said by the time the season ends he will do between $20,000 to $30,000 of snow business. Last year he billed out $6,000 to $7,000, which barely covered health insurance costs for his employees, he said.

"We're definitely going to make some money," he said. "I needed it, big time."

Mark Rineer, vice president of Andrews Excavating, said the February storms have been a nice supplement for not being able to push dirt because of the snow and the economy. He has 45 people and about 45 pieces of equipment for removing snow. The firm charges a rate based on the equipment and the hours at a site.

This season he said his crew has worked 5,000 man-hours with snow removal. Last year it was 500 hours.

"The last few winters we were just out a few times with a plow and salt," he said. "Now we're plowing 24 hours at a time."

Andrews has designated breaks to keep drivers safe, Rineer said. A spokesperson for PennDOT said drivers typically work 12-hour shifts, but the department may ask drivers to work longer.

David Pflumm, owner of Pflumm Paving and Excavating Inc., Millersville, said his crews have worked 800 to 1,000 man-hours with snow removal this season. Last year it was less than 200 hours.

Still going
Pinker, manager of the small project division at Wiker, has dealt with a big task this winter. He handles contracts and billing for snow removal. He said he could not gauge the number of man-hours, but "it has been unbelievable, and we are still going."

Wiker, which has about 30 contracts for snow removal, finished digging out Lincoln University in Chester County last Tuesday and is working on areas close to Philadelphia. The East Lampeter company spent more than a week digging out and removing snow from Dart Container in Leola. Wiker is also pushing snow off roofs and has picked up an additional eight to 10 contracts.

"People in the area see us and when push comes to shove, they call us," he said. With Lincoln University, he said, each time an area was plowed the road became more narrow, so Wiker came in and cleared more space.

Even though the snow has stopped and parking lots, sidewalks and roadways are becoming clear, there is still work to be done. Businesses need snow removed to open up more parking spaces. Drains need to be cleared and snow is being hauled away to prevent flooding.

Wiker has about 50 people who work on snow removal, using equipment ranging from graders, wheel loaders, backhoes, snow blowers and a lot of shovels, Pinker said. Wiker has a rate for labor, a rate for equipment and even a rate for salt.

Last year, Pinker said, there were more annoyance snows — here one day and gone the next. So would he rather have that type of work or what he is experiencing this year?

"I'd rather be busy with it," he said. "Any work is good work. Personally, I've had enough. But from a business perspective, keep it [the snow] coming. Snow means billable hours and work for the guys."

Landscapers
Mike Miller owns Tucquan Property, a landscaping business in the Southern End of the county. He is a certified cool season turf professional. Snow removal is his way of keeping customers and providing full service. He serves 35 commercial and 20 residential properties, primarily in the Willow Street and Quarryville areas.

He said the last two winters he barely had any work, but he's been able to pay for new equipment and make upgrades, thanks to the winter stimulus package.

"That's a good way to put it," he said about extra work this year. "My February is going to be phenomenal."

He said his lead foreman had 18 hours of work before he could relieve him. Miller opted to buy a second plow, believing this could be a harsh winter and his snow plowing could increase. It was a good decision.

"I was afraid to buy the second piece," he said, "but it has been invaluable. It's paid for itself this year."

Shimer, of Shimer Landscape, has been in that business since 1987. In the winter he has contracts for a few commercial buildings, and is a subcontractor for High Associates, which manages several major corporate centers in the county.

He said High made all subcontractors stop working at noon on the first day of the second February storm because of the state of emergency in effect. Shimer said his two crews could not start working again until 1 a.m. the next day, putting them further behind in the cleanup. He said they worked 18 straight hours. Drifts in excess of 5 feet were a problem for crews in Mountville.

The problem now, he said, is what to do with the snow. Many municipalities and businesses are breaking their budgets with snow removal.

Shimer was trying to save businesses money by not hauling away snow, but now he is getting calls to remove it. The snow business is costly. He's spent close to $1,000 for fuel this winter. Filling up his plow truck, alone, costs $112.

But he said he will make more than $20,000 this season, which is a relief after a slow landscaping season.

"The economy is difficult right now," Shimer said. "I think [2010] will be the same as this year. We'll have work, but it is going to be tight. With the snow, we'll have a little more comfort. ...

"But I'd rather have consistent work instead of the big kill. I'd rather spread it out."

For Zug, who is still searching for full-time work, long shifts were not a problem. He averaged more than 20 hours plowing per storm during the three big snowfalls this year (the first was in December). He said he is ready for warmer weather and a different work experience.

"I'm ready to move dirt this spring, hopefully," Zug said. "I've had my share of snow."