It had to be postponed once because of (you guessed it!) snow, but the city’s snow plow drivers and public works employees were treated to a catered lunch courtesy of SunCrest residents after this year’s record snowfall kept them working longer and more than ever before, including weekends and holidays. 

Snowfall in Draper is most pronounced in the mountain neighborhood of SunCrest where walls of plowed snow nearing 9 feet tall accumulated, and snow has to be hauled away to keep the community accessible and running safely. Deep snow in SunCrest makes other public works functions like garbage and recycling collection more challenging for city employees. 

“They’ve gone above and beyond their regular call of duty,” said Scott Steadman. He and Robyn Foulger organized a GoFundMe for donations for the event. “We realize it’s been taxing on them and their families, so our community rallied to show support,” Steadman said. 

Adding levity to the lunch, “I survived SunCrest winter 2022-2023” bumper stickers were distributed. 

Because fundraising exceeded the established goal, the extra $1,600 was used to purchase “Grab and Go” drinks and snacks that will be at kept at the Public Works building for the drivers and staff to enjoy in the months to come.

Deputy Public Works Director Robert Markle spoke on behalf of the city’s employees. “In a year where we’ve seen historic snowfall and countless hours from dedicated workers, it was very nice to feel appreciated. All of the crew has put their personal lives on hold for the past five-plus months. Between December and February there were less than 20 days where we weren’t performing some type of snow removal. We usually only hear from residents that are upset about our efforts. The crew could feel a little bit better about their efforts that day,” he said. “As of January, we had already performed more snow plowing then the previous two winters combined.” λ