Community leaders tackle winter’s worst weather
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Various municipal leaders are tackling snowstorms and the subsequent removal of snow differently.
Some of these individuals are new on the job and others have years of experience under their belts.
"We can't do anything about the weather," Mayor Derek Slaughter said when asked about the city snow plan. "I think the public works crews are doing a fantastic job with all of the snow."
He declined to discuss a specific city plan, referring those questions to public works.
Reached by telephone, Adam Winder, streets and parks acting general manager, said the plan is always to treat and plow main thoroughfares, followed by secondary roads and as able, alleys.
"We can't guarantee every alley is plowed," he said.
That's a problem with homeowners living on them and many using unattached garages to store their vehicles.
The department is tasked with clearing snow off bus stops and removing it from downtown.
"We do respond," he said.
Recently, however, Joseph Gerardi, city codes administrator, said residents need to know the ordinance says sidewalks, fire hydrants and any storm drains must be cleared of snow 24 hours after the snow stops or a fine may be imposed.
"I understand there have been repeated snowfalls, and we try to work with the people on that," he said.
South Williamsport borough manager Steve W. Cappelli said residents need to be assured their tax dollars are working properly.
"Heck, I used to jump in with those guys in snowplows," Cappelli said of the years he was mayor of Williamsport, from 1996 to 2000.
Cappelli said equipment costs are the highest burden, and those monster storms with 2 feet of snow or more are disastrous on equipment and overtime.
He noted how the community across the West Branch of the Susquehanna River from the city has many residents with no off-street parking options. Community leaders such as borough officials and council need to be aware of residential needs.
Cappelli frowned on policies such as odd-even parking policy.
"It's unenforceable," he said. "We have residences without driveways, garages and we are not sure we have enough towing companies in the area, let alone an impound yard to make an odd-even ordinance work," he said.
Cappelli said a truck that the borough had ordered remains undelivered because of COVID-19 delaying parts.
"It's supply-chain limbo," he said.
In Jersey Shore, Cody Hover, borough manager, has deployed the odd-even parking policy.
"If the snowfall occurs on an even day, the ordinance has borough residents park on the side of the road with even numbered houses," he said. "If the snowfall occurs on an odd day, the residents would park on the side of the road with odd numbered houses."
Hoover also said that crews try to work with residents as well if they cannot move their vehicles and he asks that police hold off on parking citations until the snow is done.
The highway department, which is only made up of three people, starts plowing and salting the major roads in the borough first.
In Loyalsock Township, Old Lycoming Township and the boroughs of Hughesville and Muncy, Montoursville and Montgomery, plans are working but they only operate best when residents remove their vehicles off roadways.
"We're holding our own," said Bill Burdett, manager of Loyalsock Township, who dispatched a crew of eight to eight different sections of the township when blizzards and snowfall covered roads.
"We are using a lot of salt and overtime hours are accruing," Burdett said. "You have to give your plow truck operators rest."
Burdett said he is welcoming an idea brought up at a recent supervisors meeting to require vehicles with an ability to get off street during storms to do so.
"This has been a busy year with snow, busier than the last couple," said Matt Aikey, the Old Lycoming Township manager.
The township employs enough workers to constantly run a four-man snow plower in 12-hour shifts to ensure complete coverage throughout the township, he said.
"As it goes over, the second shift comes in and alleviates the first shift guys, and vice-versa," Aikey said. "We can run 24 hours around the clock."
Aikey said the first crew is staffed by the road department employees, while the second crew is made up of one additional road department employee and three sewer department employees.
"When it snows, we implement the 12-hour shift. If it is less than 12, they work 8 or 10," Aikey said.
In recent years, the township developed an ordinance that lined streets with "no parking signs" that help keeps parked cars off the side of streets to make plowing easier.
"Residents have adhered to it pretty well -- we haven't had to take drastic measures," Aikey said.
In Hughesville, Montgomery, Muncy and Montgomery, keeping vehicles off the street during storms 5 inches or more is working.
"Everyone seems to be cooperative when the word comes to move their vehicles off the street," said Gail Kocher, Hughesville borough secretary. "Most people know when it's going to snow, so they have some place to put their vehicles," she said.
Workers are doing a good job with snow removal, said Donna Miller, coordinator with Montgomery borough.
"We are keeping up with it," she said. "The excess snow we take down to the park."
She said the borough should have enough material for the streets for upcoming storms.
"We have our salt contract. I just ordered 50 more tons last week," she said.
Montoursville Mayor Steve Bagwell said snow removal has been challenging this year, but borough workers have stepped up to do the work.
"I think they are doing a great job," he said.
Contributing to this story were Sun-Gazette reporters Pat Crossley, Mallorie McIlwain, Jon Burgmueller and Mike Reuther.