When Paul Lapointe sold out of snowblowers Monday, customers slapped down deposits on blowers bound for Maine today or tomorrow, just ahead of the next storm.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with service work and sales,” said Lapointe, owner of Lapointe’s Lawn & Garden Center on Sabattus Street. “We probably went through three winters’ worth of parts in this one winter.”

Customers united by one major headache – too much snow – gave all sorts of reasons for coming in.

“They’re frustrated with nickel and diming their old ones,” Lapointe said. “One guy today had his driveway plowed. He was just disgusted because it’s costing so much, and when the city plow drives by, he has to have the guy come out again.”

Another man bought a new one Monday so his son could get the old blower. Then some people were just sick of shoveling: “Even the used ones are selling well. Anything but shoveling,” Lapointe said.

Larry Moreau, manager at Rent-It on Center Street in Auburn, said most customers worried about heavy-duty snow removal, like big plazas, had already rented front-end loaders for the season, but they were fielding inquiries about day-to-day rentals.

“Are we getting calls? There’s no question about it,” he said.

It’s all about space and mass, Moreau said. Plow trucks can build a snowbank 6 feet high. Front-end loaders can reclaim a parking lot and build a pile up to 18 feet.

After seasons of only renting after big storms, Rowe Auburn bought its own bucket loader this year, general sales manager Jake Anderson said. With the help of a dump truck, they’ve been moving the snow behind the car dealership and built up a 20-plus foot pile.

It was a good winter to make the investment. “It’s paid for itself,” Anderson said.

A bigger issue for them than all the snow: Ice. The snow’s been melting and turning to ice sometimes faster than they can clear it, getting under cars and underfoot.

There’s the worry about slipping and sliding, plus, “when they’re on ice, you’ve got to push the car to get it going,” Anderson said.

As for snow piled around the Twin Cities, Lewiston Public Works employees plan to remove it from streets starting today. Schools and high traffic areas are high priorities. Snow accumulated along side streets, dead ends and blind spots will be targeted, too, Director Paul Boudreau said.

“We have spent three weeks cleaning up snow, day and night.” Boudreau said.

“We have 7,000 cubic yards of salt (for the season), we have used up 6,000 cubic yards already.” he added. The department has salt on order from New Hampshire that is expected to arrive in a few days.

The average snowfall in the Lewiston-Auburn area is 72 inches. This year, Boudreau said, the two cities have had 92 inches in 18 storms.

All of the snow removed from the streets of Lewiston is brought to a site reserved for city use and some contractors.

“We haven’t filled it yet,” Boudreau said.