The city of Yakima is getting an upper hand on snow removal after hiring private contractors to plow the city's neighborhood streets, and residents are grateful.

Private snow plows are clearing six inches of snow from neighborhood streets like North 63rd Avenue, and Dillon Thornton is happy.

"It's great, usually we don't get plowed pretty much until the snow's already all melted away so it sort of defeats the purpose," says Thornton.

"We've been going basically 24 hours nonstop since yesterday," says plow operator Reggie Young.

Leingang Excavating is one of six private contractors hired by the city for snow removal. The plowing requires two machines, a grater to clear the snow-- and a loader to pile the snow away from the road.

Before today, residents say driving North 63rd was a nightmare.

"We would get stuck right outside of our house in this thin layer right between the sidewalk and the street," says Joseph Martin.

"Before they plowed any of the roads, I couldn't make it, so I had to get a run at it, just to get on the streets," says Thornton.

This is the first time in more than 5 years Yakima has hired private plows because this is the most snow the city has dealt with since 2006. Operations Manager Joe Rosenlund says they need the extra help this week.

"With rotating our personnel and bringing in contractors I think we've been able to handle it fairly well," says Rosenlund.

"With this much snow it blocks the driveways and stuff, it gets them an upper hand on the situation in case it starts snowing again," says Young.

The city expects to spend as much as $75-thousand on the private snow plows, and may have to dip into reserves to pay for the work.

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