The Twin Cities will get back about $160,000 that was spent to clean up last winter’s first big snowstorm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved $105,300 for Lewiston and $55,900 for Auburn for the cost of digging out from the record-setting Dec. 6 and 7 snowstorm. It was part of a one-two punch that blanketed the state and forced city crews into overtime.

“We only applied for the first storm,” said Lewiston Public Works Director Dave Jones. “That’s the one that really fit the profile.”

The storm rolled into Maine on a Saturday, blanketing some parts of the state with more than 3 feet of snow. Boothbay reported 8.5 inches, while Rangeley was covered in 41 inches.

But it wasn’t the amount that mattered, Jones said, as much as the timing.

“It all fell over a weekend, which meant that every bit of it was overtime for our staff,” Jones said. “That’s what really cost us.”

Carol Worthing, Auburn Public Works administrative assistant, agreed. “If it had come in like it did on a weekday, we never would have been reimbursed,” she said.

A similar storm blanketed the area a week later, but the two didn’t set a trend for the winter. Jones said his department ended the season with even budgets and a good supply of leftover sanding material.

The FEMA money was part of President George W. Bush’s declaration of an emergency for the Northeast region in January. In Maine, 11 counties were eligible to receive the FEMA money.
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