Lynbrook Department of Public Works ready for winter

Lynbrook Department of Public Works Superintendent Phil Healey looked on as his employee, Peter Gerbi, drove one of his trucks up a gigantic salt mound, adding the final touches to the latest delivery.

“We had our final two deliveries today,” Healey said, raising his voice to drown out the sounds coming from the truck. “It’s not unusual for us to go through two sheds [of salt] a winter. We’ll go through about 400 to 500 tons a year.”

Any excess salt that isn’t used this winter will be stored in a shed for next year. The salt comes from across the country and is delivered to the Port of New York and New Jersey. During particularly snowy and icy winters, the salt is imported from South America.

Healey, who has been the superintendent of the Lynbrook DPW since 1993 and served in other public works entities for 11 years before that, said that the village usually pays for about 400 tons of salt each winter at a cost of $70 per ton, so the budget is typically around $28,000 for salt alone. As for manpower, he said there’s about $60,000 in the budget to pay for any overtime needed.

This winter’s preparations started in September, according to Healey. That’s when his crew began to review their equipment — trucks, sanders and blades — and ordered the salt. He added that the village Board of Trustees approved the addition of four new smaller trucks to replace old units for this winter. “I’m all too familiar with snow,” he quipped.

Healey, who manages a 51-person crew, said that during storms he tries to rotate his staff through 12-hour shifts as much as possible. He emphasized that the goal is to make sure no one suffers from fatigue, sleep deprivation or sickness.

“From my experience driving behind the wheel by that 10th hour you’re worn out,” Healey said. “You get this sort of vertigo when you drive too much. You get hypnotized.”

Scott Keller, who has worked for the DPW for the last 17 years, said he enjoys his job, but it’s often difficult being away from his family for days to plow during big storms. “Sleep becomes an issue,” he said. “You can get called in at 10 o’clock at night for a 12-hour shift, so you’re not getting to sleep until the next night.” He added that he always keeps a change of clothes in his car for unexpected calls into action.

Since plowing snow is demanding and repetitive, Healey has implemented strategies to help drivers stay alert. Besides rotating shifts, he advises his workers to get out of their trucks occasionally and to walk around the block if they feel weary or become bleary-eyed.

“The physical part, we really try to be very observant of,” Healey said. “People got a lot on their mind, they’re driving alone late at night. You can only have so much coffee.”

Other issues the DPW faces during storms are equipment failures and public confusion over which roads the village is responsible for plowing. Some roads in Lynbrook are owned by the village, while others fall under the jurisdiction of the county or the state—which limits the local DPW access. “There’s so much liability in plowing the wrong road,” Healey said, “and people don’t understand that.”

The department’s priority is to plow so that emergency vehicles can get through — and they aren’t trying to intentionally block residential driveways. Keller has had disgruntled people throw shovels and snow at him — but he said he understands it’s just part of the job.

“When we get a really big storm, by the third day we really don’t like each other,” Healey joked.

Healey expects this winter to be relatively mild, but cautioned that there could be one or two larger storms before spring. During expected storms, the DPW watches The Weather Channel during the buildup and prepares to work around the clock if necessary.

East Rockaway

In a prepared statement sent to the Herald, Mayor Bruno Romano wrote that all village snow removal equipment are serviced and checked one by one “to ensure that the equipment is ready to respond to any inclement weather situation that may occur.” The East Rockaway DPW superintendent did not return calls.

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