By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
The City of Long Beach declared a snow emergency during the Presidents Day storm, and urged residents not to drive unless there was an emergency. The city began its battle with Mother Nature around 1:45 a.m. on Monday, as alternating crews began plowing, salting and sanding the roads.
Though most residents stayed in, some were dedicated enough to venture out into the blizzard. With his car plowed in, Mason Hicks's only transportation was his bike. Leaving his Washington Boulevard home, Hicks made his way to the Mobil gas station on Long Beach Road. But by the time he got there, he was walking his bike instead of riding it. And what possessed the Long Beach resident to keep on riding -- er, walking? He needed to buy cigarettes, Hicks said.
Adopting a method of travel that is not recommended, Chris, who didn't want to give his last name, hitched a ride on the side of a friend's minivan. "I wanted to get out of the house and play lotto," he said, having made his way from the East End to the Long Beach Road 7-Eleven.
In the West End, decked out in a bright yellow jacket, Troy Hagemann battled the snow-filled streets in his jeep, which was equipped with enormous snow tires. Hagemann spent most of his morning plowing some of the West End's sidewalks.
As snow filled the streets, councilman Leonard Remo said the city was fortunate that the storm hit on a holiday. "We've had such mild winters that people aren't used to this," he said. "Last year we had a couple of inches, the years before that we had nothing."
Many residents had the day off due to the holiday, including students, who have the entire week off for Winter Recess. But the day of snowfall was resented, sort of, by some students. "It really stinks, because if we didn't have the vacation we would have the whole week off," said Sarah, 11, who was snow-tubing with her friends Lenny Schnier, 11, Andrew Schnier, 8, Cole Blum, 10, and her brother Eamon, 9, in the canals. "But snow is fun, anyway."
Isabella DeFrancesco, who turns 4 this week, kicked up her boots as she caught a ride on a boogie board towed by her mother, Michelle. Her father, though, was probably having a little less fun, since he was spending his time shoveling.
In another part of town, Frank, who didn't want to give his last name, was also seen shoveling snow. However, he wasn't clearing his sidewalk or his car. Instead he was clearing an area often used by stray cats, he said, for shelter -- a place he didn't want identified. He dug a path for the furry creatures and then left food as the snow continued to fall.
Removing the snow can get costly. In Long Beach, snow removal costs the city some $5,000 an hour with a full crew, which was still on the streets on Tuesday.
The snow removal cost Nassau County $325,000 in over-time, Nassau County spokesperson David Chauvin said. On Sunday it amounted to $7,000 an hour, but overtime and holiday pay on Monday more than doubled the cost, to $15,000 an hour.
Business around the city was almost back to normal by Tuesday. City Hall, buses, sanitation, the community/senior center, day care centers and the recreation center were all back in business.
Even mail was delivered once again on Tuesday, Tom Gaynor, the spokesman for the United States Postal Service, said. Since Monday was a holiday, there was no scheduled mail delivery.
As for the heavy snowfall's aftermath, City Council President Joel Crystal said, "We ask everyone to please be patient, be a good neighbor and check in on one another, especially the elderly or someone who may live alone. Please use common sense when digging out. It's not worth risking injury."
City: keep those sidewalks clear!
When it snows, the shovels come out. At least, for most. But for some local businesses -- and residents -- shoveling their sidewalks is apparently too much to ask.
This year alone, the City of Long Beach Building Department has issued numerous violations and summonses for failure to shovel snow from sidewalks, officials said. "We have tried to be more aggressive because of the colder temperatures and the ice this year," Building Commissioner Scott Kemins said.
More than two dozen violations and three summonses have been issued to Long Beach residents and businesses, Kemins said. A violation is a warning to shovel the sidewalk, and does not carry a fine as long as the property owner complies within a reasonable time, he said. But a summons requires the property owner to appear in court and pay a fine.
For the most part, Kemins said, when an owner is warned, he or she will immediately clears the sidewalk. If the owner is elderly or suffers from a medical condition, Kemins said, the city will recommend calling a local community organization, such as the community center or Project Challenge, for help in clearing the sidewalk.
Snow-covered sidewalks are "dangerous for anybody but especially for our elderly population," Kemins said.
But not everyone complies with the city's warnings. After several complaints and an alleged slip by a resident last week, two summonses were issued to CVS on West Park Avenue for failure to shovel the sidewalk.
"We've warned CVS for the last two years, and they have failed to clear their sidewalk," Kemins said.
Another summons was issued to the landlord of the site of the former Harvest Produce Center in the West End. That property was still not cleared as of Wednesday.
