KC-area residents turn piles of snow into piles of cash
STILLWELL, Kan. — Piles of snow looks like piles of cash to many hardworking people.
Plenty of people in the Kansas City metro who don’t always work outside are using this weather event as a chance to make some extra dough in the snow.
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The FOX4 Weather Team reports 5-7 inches of snow fell on parts of Johnson County.
When the weather is better, Alex Whitehair, a student at Blue Valley High School, mows lawns for a large number of homeowners around Leawood and Stillwell.
For the past two winters, Whitehair and his business partner have tackled the white stuff, clearing driveways and porches for extra money.
Whitehair said his crew of three workers had 20 driveways to scrape on Tuesday, where ATVs and snow blowers will join snow shovels to get the job done.
“I enjoy it a lot,” Whitehair said. “It’s the first snow of the year — first big snow. Now, we have people on lists and they’ll text us and say — come on back and plow our driveway.”
How much snow did Kansas City get? See local snow reports
The operation is smaller for Olathe’s Antonio Zuniga and his teenaged daughter. Zuniga is a contractor, who usually helps install gutters and downspouts on homes, but when the weather is this bad, he uses his shovel to make money.
“I’ve got a family to take care of. If I don’t work, being self employed, if I don’t work, I don’t make any money that day. With my family looking out and depending on me, I have to do something,” Zuniga said.
Whitehair advertises on his local Nextdoor page, while Zuniga’s ads can be spotted on Craigslist.
Both snow removal workers we talked with on Tuesday say their blood keeps pumping while they’re out here working, which helps them stay warm. They’ll have more opportunities to make money as Friday approaches — with more snow in the forecast.
