By Nicole Falco
The village deployed an army of workers and an arsenal of equipment to combat the blizzard. The attack began after 8 p.m. Sunday, when eight trucks began sanding the streets. The village started plowing within a few hours of the first flakes in an effort to get ahead of the snowfall.
"Everybody pulled together," said Nick Camarano, deputy supervisor of the Public Works Department. "Everybody was very conscientious about getting this thing done completely. We were very happy everybody did a great job and that was evident [Tuesday] morning."
In all, more than 100 village employees rotated among three 12-hour shifts to clear the main roadways, streets and parking lots in time for the Tuesday-morning commute. According to Village Clerk Vincent Ang, the village received few phone calls during the storm, "which mean we must have done well."
The Presidents Day storm was the third significant snowfall of the season, and may have pushed the village's snow-removal budget to its limit. If this storm didn't boost the season's total expenses beyond the budgeted $177,000, it came close, Ang said. It's a reality faced by municipalities throughout the county.
The snow removal cost Nassau County $325,000 in overtime, Nassau County spokesman David Chauvin said. On Sunday the work cost $7,000 an hour. But on Presidents Day, overtime and holiday pay more than doubled the cost, to $15,000 an hour.
"Yesterday was a snow emergency for Nassau, and it's been lifted today [Tuesday]," Chauvin said.
A blizzard on a national holiday was both a blessing and a curse in Valley Stream. With the day off, the number of residents on Valley Stream's roads and commuting into Manhattan was minimal, but the snowfall also meant that many spent the end of their three-day weekend shoveling their sidewalks and digging out their cars.
"We all helped each other," said Kathy Neske. "It was a neighborhood effort." After digging out one of his own cars, Neske's husband, John, drove to help friends. Hot chocolate with marshmallows helped ease the bitter cold, but the blustery conditions couldn't keep the neighborhood's children inside. Schools were already closed for winter recess, and youngsters took to the streets to build snowmen, make snow angels and ride sleds.
Though she was cheated out of a snow day, Neske's 7-year-old daughter, Kayla, looked on the bright side of things. "We get the week off to play in the snow instead of just one day," she said.
