Round two with Mother Nature in Rockville Centre

Village Administrator Frank Quigley said the Department of Public Works was well prepared to deal with the snowstorm that he said dropped between 10 and 12 inches of snow in the village overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, Jan. 12.

The department’s latest cleanup effort left the village in good shape, according to Quigley. That snow removal job— the second in three weeks — began in the early morning hours of Wednesday after four inches had accumulated on the ground.

“This was round two,” said Quigley, who had described himself as “disappointed” with the cleanup effort from the December blizzard. “We were very motivated, full of energy and ready for the challenge to show what we could do for our residents,” he said of the latest snow cleanup.

For the most recent storm, the village acquired a brand new plow and pick-up truck to assist DPW workers. It also had lined up outside contractors, so plenty of extra equipment was on hand in case any went down.

Village offices were open on Wednesday, but the Rockville Centre school district closed all schools that day due to the inclement weather. Some businesses in the village, such as Astoria Federal Savings Bank and Panera Bread, had to delay opening their doors until 10 a.m. On the LIRR, a normal evening commute resumed after the railroad experienced snow-related equipment and switching delays earlier in the day.

“Conditions look fine...,” said Caron Lerner, a village resident who owns Rockville Camera on Sunrise Highway, last Wednesday. “I think the village learned from the last storm.”

Following the December blizzard, some residents and business owners were outraged over what they said was a slow snow removal effort by the village. Quigley acknowledged that the DPW experienced technical problems with its equipment, which led to a less-than-speedy cleanup of the 15-20 inches dumped by that storm.

“We experienced issues too, last time,” said Dave McDonald, who, along with his wife, owns Rockville Hardware on Merrick Road. “We lost business for two-to-three days because the lots were covered with snow… Inadequate parking affects commerce.”

But on Jan. 12, village representatives anticipated possible issues and it appeared that none of them occurred again. Plow trucks and payloaders were operating well, according to Quigley. As a result many of the main streets in the village were cleared of excess snow in time for the morning commute.

Quigley added that some parking lots and streets were revisited and plowed again that night and the following morning. Overall, the village administrator graded the effort from the DPW somewhere between a B and B+.

“We should be thankful...” Quigley said. “Mother Nature was kind to us this time.”