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February 12, 2010
by Christine Yeres
Everyone believed earlier than usual that the big snow predicted for overnight Tuesday-Wednesday would actually materialize. Schools announced Tuesday afternoon that Wednesday would be a snow day, at Tuesday night’s town board meeting Barbara Gerrard told residents to keep their business with town hall till Thursday. Wednesday it would be closed. Roadways had been well covered by brine spray for the storm that didn’t materialize the weekend before.
Department of Public Works Commissioner Anthony Vaccaro was pleased that the brine solution applied to roadways the week before remained until this latest storm. “The difference was visible,” he said, “And even when snow accumulates above, [the brine coating] still provides a layer of traction beneath.”
Twenty-two DPW employees— drivers and the mechanics who stay at DPW headquarters to fix equipment—were called in around 1:00 a.m. Their arrival time depended on their ability to reach the New Castle. Some live near, others far. The drivers set out on 17 different routes within New Castle and ended up replowing at least four times during the storm, said Vaccaro, using salt only as necessary. “We’ve been trying to minimize our use of salt,” he added.
“We were able to take breaks throughout,” explained Vaccaro. “The storm came in waves, which was fortunate, or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it, so we were able to stay on top of conditions. However, snowfall continued till about mid-night [between Wednesday and Thursday]. We weren’t in a position to send anyone home because of the amount of time it would take to get roads ready for the morning commute. The forecast also called for blowing and drifting snow. I heard the term “ground blizzard” used, which was the first time I have ever heard of it. Sending crews home is risky because it takes many workers more than an hour to get home in conditions like these. By the time they get a chance to relax and catch-up on sleep, it would be time to turn around and come back. And sometimes the return’s not so easy either.”
Around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, crews were still pushing, shoveling and scraping snow from roadways and sidewalks, just wrapping up 30 hours after the snow began. “After the last snow flake, particularly after a snow event like this, there are still many hours to clean up—pushing back to the curbs, treating roads, cleaning sidewalks,” said Vaccaro. “This storm was difficult because it kept coming in waves. We started around 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday and worked 30 hours straight.”
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