Days after the snow fell last week, many city streets were still waiting to see a snow plow.

It’s clear road crews need help, but they won’t get it from some new additions to the city fleet - a dozen dump trucks that must stay on the sidelines.

The vehicle’s don’t have four-wheel drive and can’t be equipped with plows.

“I’m frustrated, I’m upset, I’m a little bit angry at some of I guess lack of attention to detail,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said at a press conference last week on problems with snow removal.

Turns out the lack of attention to detail he referred to was the purchase of a dozen new trucks by the city. Ravenstahl thought they were snow plow and snow removal ready, but he was wrong.

Public Works Director Guy Costa says he ordered two-wheel drive trucks, knowing they couldn’t be used for snow removal, calling it simple economics. Get seven fully-loaded trucks to be used for snow removal or get a dozen trucks that can be used for general duty, but can’t be used for snow removal.

“A decision had to be made - what [do] you do with the dollars you have? Do I buy seven trucks with plows and spreaders, or do I buy twelve trucks with two-wheel drive without plows and spreaders?,” Costa said.

Griffin: “In hindsight what would you do?”

Costa: “In hindsight I’d probably keep the same, do it the same way it is Marty because … it’s very important that you know.  You’ve done stories on the equipment in public works. We need to find better ways to get equipment.”

In 2004, a KDKA investigation revealed nearly half of the city’s trucks used for snow removal were out of service. That led the mayor to come up with more than $1 million in funding to buy new trucks. Some of those trucks are equipped to plow and spread salt, but a dozen are not, used instead in the parks to pick up trash at senior centers to spread salt and to transport city workers.

Griffin: “C’mon Guy.  You bought two-wheel drive trucks. It doesn’t make sense in a city where we have all of this ice.”

Costa: “No, I’m trying to be smart and cost effective in my job. The question is Marty, you got X amount of dollars over X amount of years, what do you do. Do you buy more trucks or do you buy less trucks?

“In the future am I gonna look to buy four wheel-drive trucks? Yes.”

No official comment from the mayor’s office, but sources tell KDKA’s Marty Griffin the mayor had a face-to-face meeting with Costa and was very angry about the decision.

At this point the mayor says forget about cost-effectiveness and has ordered Costa to purchase all new trucks to make certain that they’re four-wheel drive.

Meanwhile, there will be 12 new trucks snow plow ready in the not too distant future.