Downtown Holland’s famous Snowmelt System keeps our sidewalks and streets snow free all winter long!
Since 1988, local Holland residents and visitors have enjoyed snow-free streets and sidewalks in Downtown Holland throughout the winter season, thanks to a public-private partnership led by the late Edgar D. Prince, a local entrepreneur and business visionary.
Prince had seen snowmelt systems at work on his many trips to Europe and as Downtown Holland faced increased competition due to the construction of the Westshore Mall on the north side of Holland, he knew snowmelt would be key to making Downtown Holland a year-round destination for both residents and visitors. Prince’s vision came to life in the late 1980’s when the City of Holland completed a major streetscape renovation to add snowmelt underneath the street and sidewalk all along 8th Street.
Thanks to the Holland Board of Public Works, waste heat from power generation is captured to heat water that is circulated through over 190 miles of tubing laid underneath the pavement and sidewalks back to the BPW Energy Park, located just outside of Downtown Holland. The system pumps over 4,700 gallons of water per minute at 95 degrees and can melt about one inch of snow per hour at 20 degrees with winds of 10 mph. Snowmelt is a closed system, meaning it circulates the same water over and over again. Prior to 2016, the system pulled water from Lake Macatawa.
As a much-appreciated innovation, the snowmelt system has been expanded several times to include additional areas on 6th, 7th, and 9th Streets, the Eighth Street Market Place area outside of the Holland Civic Center, the sidewalks to Herrick District Library, and residential areas along Central Avenue, and more. In total, the snowmelt system today provides approximately 690,000 square feet of heated sidewalks and streets and is the largest municipally-owned snowmelt system in all North America. There are also 190,000 square feet of privately-owned snowmelt systems heated with water from City snowmelt mains.
Benefits to Downtown Holland’s snowmelt system include budget-savings and a reduction of wear and tear on the streetscape due to no salting or snowplowing required in areas with snowmelt. Because our sidewalks remain snow-free, customers can stroll throughout Downtown Holland all winter long without worrying about cold and wet boots or slipping on the ice. Our snowmelt system has also made Downtown Holland a top destination for runners all winter long, earning a feature article in Runner’s World Magazine and an award from the Road Runners Club of America for being a top running-friendly community in the United States.
