Hoping for smaller snowstorms

Roadways, driveways and train tracks were not the only things snowed under after the post-Christmas blizzard that dumped up to two feet of snow on Long Island and in the Five Towns.

Municipal budgets, especially in Cedarhurst, took a hit as manpower and heavy equipment was needed to not only plow the snow, but also move it out of the way as people returned to work or school following the holiday.

Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise said that the village budgeted $50,000 for snow removal in its current budget that spans from June 1 to May 30, but spent $64,000, which included $45,000 to an outside contractor, to clear out the snow.

“It knocked the hell out of our budget,” Parise said about the Dec. 26-27 snowstorm. “We are hoping and praying we only have little (snowstorms).”

A total of 14 pieces of equipment moved the snow in Cedarhurst, including five dump trucks, three payloaders, three Bobcats (small bulldozers) and three sanders. The village had 11 full-time workers and eight temps working on the storm, Parise said.

In Lawrence, the fiscal picture is a bit rosier as the village spent nearly $28,000 to plow and clean up after the storm, which is approximately a third of what Lawrence budgets for snow removal, according to Mayor Martin Oliner. The village’s fiscal year spans from July 1 to June 30 and plans for two to three huge storms on an annual basis.

“It was more a function of overtime, Oliner said, referring to how much was spent. “All things considered, I am very happy with what we did.”

Overtime hours added up to almost 17 in total, but was vigilantly watched as work was stopped at a 11 p.m. on Dec. 26, then resumed at 5 a.m. on Dec. 27, Oliner noted, as the village’s 137 streets were plowed.

Both village mayors said they will look for reimbursement through the federal government should the storm be declared an emergency.

The Town of Hempstead spent $1,350,000 of its $2.5 million snow budget plowing, slating and sanding its streets, said Town Spokeswoman Susan Trenkle Pukalsky.

Though a little more than half of Hempstead’s budget was spent on this storm, including laying down a total of 8,600 tons of salt on the roadways, Pukalsky said the town has “rock solid finances,” and this expense is not a problem financially.

“We have contingency funds, if it is necessary we can shift funds within the budget,” she said.

Though the expenditures seem huge, in terms of what the business community thinks it could well worth the money.

“As always, the Village of Cedarhurst did an outstanding job of snow removal from the main shopping streets and sidewalk,” said David Cohen of London Optical, a store at 495 Central Ave.

In Hewlett, Joseph Gelb, president of the community’s merchants association noted that though Dec. 27 was a “dead day” due to the storm, “the town worked diligently to get the roads cleared for traffic and Tuesday (Dec. 28) was a better day. “The town did a nice job of plowing the streets,” he said.