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After the Storm in Port Chester: No Power Outages, Buses Running

Metro-North's New Haven Line trains still suspended.

UPDATE (11:30 a.m. Saturday) - Although Port Chester village DPW crews have worked around-the-clock to clear local roads from the snow storm that slammed the village on Friday, Village Manager Christopher Steers said residents are urged to stay off the roads because of snowy and icy conditions.

Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla said the village was hit with 18 inches of snow, and although local roads are passable, he noted that windy conditions expected today will likely create drifting snow that would affect the roads.

"The best thing for people to do today is stay inside and enjoy the warmth of their homes," Pilla said.

Port Chester code enforcement officers were in the field starting a 6:30 a.m. to check with damage around the village, but Steers said nothing significant was discovered. The code enforcement officers are traveling throughout the village today advising residents not to put snow cleared from cars or sidewalks and driveways into the street. Steers said Port Chester Police are also advising residents not to put shoveled snow into the streets.

Steers said Port Chester police, fire and emergency medical personnel all reported there were no significant incidents or calls for assistance during the storm that lasted until early this morning. Con Edison reports there are no power outages in Port Chester.

Pilla said that DPW workers, in addition to clearing roads, have been using a variety of equipment to clear key sidewalks and park areas. Pilla noted that in e-mails he has received from village residents this morning he has not received any complaints in connection with snow removal from streets.

"I'm proud of the workforce we have in the Village of Port Chester," Pilla said of the workers involved in the emergency efforts.

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As Port Chester residents awoke this morning, the found more than a foot of snow on the ground — but their lights were still on.

Con Edison reports there are no power outages in the village, and there are no power outages at all in Westchester County.

Westchester County's Bee-Line buses have resumed operations, although delays can be expected because of the snow. Metro-North trains are back in operation on the Hudson and Harlem lines, but the railroad says service is still suspended on the New Haven Line this morning because of conditions created by the storm that started Friday afternoon and continued through the night.

Bea Conetta February 10, 2013 at 03:44 pm
The DPW of PC usually does a tremendous job when we have a snow storm, but something went radically wrong this time. My daughter told me that the roads in Rye Brook and Rye are clear, but the roads in PC are icy and treacherous. What went wrong this time?
John B February 10, 2013 at 05:13 pm
When I went out this morning was very surprised at the poor condition of the PC roads.I don't recall when they been this bad,usually they are in much better shape then the surrounding communities. Hopefully this is a one time aberration.
Linda Turturino February 10, 2013 at 05:15 pm
someone needs glasses the roads are icy and terrible i hope the phone in the mayors office rings off the hook tomorrow
Joe February 10, 2013 at 06:01 pm
I work in Rye. After work yesterday I went to PC to visit family and the roads were a disaster. Why are the other towns able to be clear and PC not? Maybe its the person who now heads the Highway dept! What a poor job on his part and his team. All town officials get a black eye on on this. I hope all Port Chester residence complain tomorrow. we are the ones who elect these officials. They have to remember the WORK FOR US!!!!!
Valerie February 10, 2013 at 06:53 pm
BOT .... What happened in PC ....Terrible !! Yes ... It was a major storm ... no doubt about it. The highway dept not prepared for this one .... why ?? Yes ... I did see and hear the highway dept out and about the night of the storm ... what about yesterday ...?? Where did they go ?? I hope there will not be any slip and falls ... the roads are now snow and ice packed .... You get a big fat "F" for his one. Sorry !!
William Demarest (Editor) February 10, 2013 at 07:46 pm
Mayor Dennis Pilla said that a noticeable difference is that Port Chester does not use the brine solution that neighbors use to treat roads in advance of the snow to melt the snow as it falls. Pilla said the solution does make a noticeable difference on the roads after the storms. He said the DPW had Rye Brook use the solution on King Street as a test in this storm. Today, Pilla says 8 Port Chester DPW trucks are out working on snow removal and road clean up.
Aidan February 10, 2013 at 08:45 pm
Can't Mayor Pilla ... or the other BOT members ... make the snow melt and evaporate? What kind of leadership is this? This snow should've been gone by last night's dinner hour. Clearly, government has failed us. Where's FEMA? I mean, folks can't even get to their mailboxes without shoes. And pizza shops are gouging us for a dollar delivery fee! Anyone seen Cuomo? Yeah, he gets his pizza free. And Obama? He should be over at Lyons Park wailing about the busted branches and snow covered benches. These guys all know we can't tie our shops without a diagram on the insole. We're so helpless ... I wish they'd treat us properly.
Jose Flores February 10, 2013 at 08:47 pm
You must be blind then! There is a sheet of snow still (Feb. 10, 2013) on the main roads in Port Chester. Tell the Mayor to try and sell the story about the "brine solution" to someone else. I pay high taxes and this is embarrassing! Rye Brook, Greenwich, White Plains and Rye all have clean roads. This is the second year in a row that this happens. You lost my vote, and I'm sure my neighbors agree!
William Demarest (Editor) February 10, 2013 at 09:19 pm
Port Chester Village Manager Christoper Steers said village officials are aware of concerns by residents about local roads in the wake of the storm. He said the DPW has been out non-stop today since 5 am. And he just finished driving around helping to identify the remaining streets that are of concern.
Joe February 10, 2013 at 10:25 pm
The Brine Soulution theory sounds good on the surface. Thats a normal, & typical politician responce. I wouldnt expect the truth. That would be self-incriminating. Almost sounds like "SNOW GATE" to me!
Someone dropped the ball. Was it the head of DPW? or was it the Village Manager who hires these people? Either way, We have someone whos incompetent at the wheel.. And someone has to come up with better answers for this. Where is GOLDIE when we need her???
eatingdogfood February 10, 2013 at 10:34 pm
PC: the most dysfunctional place in Westchester.
Ana Guerreiro February 11, 2013 at 02:01 am
Such a disgrace of a major
tina February 11, 2013 at 04:18 pm
Excuses...excuses...Heads should roll for the horrible job that the DPW did during this snow storm. Why did they come out on Sunday to clean out the downtown parking lots and not take care of the main and side roads? What happened to Saturday?!!
Dennis Pilla and Chris Steers should stop making excuses about whether brine should have or should not have been used or that all of a sudden they are realizing that the have poor equipment to deal with the storm. They did ok in the past with the same equipment. What does this mean now, they need to buy new equipment and then our taxes will go up?!? Use what you have correctly or instead have someone in charge that knows how to use it. Someone should send the former Village Manager, Chris Russo, pictures of the streets in Port Chester and tell him that's what you get when you make the gargage mechanic your General Foreman.
eatingdogfood February 11, 2013 at 04:51 pm
Pilla needs to be replaced.
Silvio V. Buccieri February 11, 2013 at 05:43 pm
Tina, the so called Gargage mechanic, is good person'' and reason for all of this yelling and screeming is that there is to many people in Port Chester and too many cars from overcrowding here in so called Port Chester, and the pvt plowers do not follow the rules to put the snow where it belongs. and many people clean there car and put the snow in the street. Tina, I know you really care and so do I. where are so called no it all BOT. GOD BLESS YOU TINA.
Clifton Hodge February 11, 2013 at 11:38 pm
Saturday on park ave I saw limited snow plowing effort.Not the usual effort. I had two cars parked on the opposite side of the street because of the street cleaning rules.By the end of the day I moved them and I actually saw the plow truck go wide to the center of the street and leave all of the un-plowed snow right there and cut back in further up the street. They were not by that many times like they usually are. It was noticeable. CBH
Clifton Hodge February 11, 2013 at 11:47 pm
Do the plow snow in Florida?
Clifton Hodge February 12, 2013 at 01:22 am
Year after year does not mater who is in charge I keep thinking it is going to get better.
But no. Intrenched and dysfunctional! How many feel that you r stuck in Poor Chester? Cant move unless you give your house away. Highest taxes around what r we paying for. The property owners / home owner cannot be expected to fund everything that goes on in this town into the future. That worked in the 50 s,60 s, 70 s this system is archaic now and needs to be address. Home owners do not have bottomless deep pockets.
Tony February 12, 2013 at 03:49 pm
Silvio, Being a "Good Person" doesn't mean you are very good at your job. Being a good person just means. That you help other people out in need of help. You do good deeds for others and your community. Last time i checked that wasn't a requirement on a job application to be the head of DPW. Hell if it is I want to apply for the job.
The reality is that when it snowed. And it snowed a lot. The town did a very poor job in getting the town back on its feet. For the people and the businesses. We rely on clean roads. I have a simple question for you. And i would like you to answer this honestly. Do you think PC did a good job in getting the snow off the streets and side roads along with the parking lots? if they did do a good job. Why so many complaints above and other people who i come into contact with in PC? And if your so called "GOOD PERSON" did do a good job. Why are the surrounding Towns in better shape than us? Greenwich, Rye Brook, Rye, Harrison all were fine. Look im not here to shout and scream. But if you do a poor job you should hear about it. and the Department Head of DPW did a poor job. you cant dispute that. maybe by the next storm he can get his act together or maybe instead of being a "GOOD PERSON" he can turn into a "MEAN PERSON" and get our roads clean for the residence of PC and the businesses.
Clifton Hodge February 12, 2013 at 04:48 pm
Is this an example of the peter principle in action. I'm sure that all of the DPW employees do a great job and do as instructed. Now we are three days past the storm and driving around I see many streets still littered with snow. In past years the trucks would come around and continue to knock back the snow days after until the job is done not plow a few times and say some one is throwing snow back in the street. The more I drive around it is obvious they didn't finish the job and it's Tuesday and still no action. u can tell some one new is Steer ing the ship. Do they have to plow snow in Florida. By this time next year he'll have enough experience for the Job. Lets learn on the job and blame the equipment Is thats 200K
oh, oh look I just saw a plow truck go by with it's plow down at 11:37am they must be listening
Robski48 February 12, 2013 at 05:37 pm
Maybe the village can hire another consultant to tell us why this happened!!!! Better yet, why don't we cut out the consultants and hire the men DPW needs to do the work. The village leaders have cut all departments of their workforce and it has backfired on them. Yes, they have hired recently, but not to cover the amount they have cut. Just look at previous years budget numbers for department numbers. It is all on the PC website.
overly concerned February 12, 2013 at 07:42 pm
Mr. Morabito is MORE than qualified to handle the position. He has done a tremendous job with everything that has been thrown at him. Funny I didn't see you bashing him when Sandy hit. Why is that?
overly concerned February 12, 2013 at 07:46 pm
Tony - He's a good person but aside from that he is GREAT at what he does. THE SURROUNDING TOWNS USED A DIFFERENT APPROACH TOWARDS IT AND THE HEAD OF THE DPW DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT DECISION. WOW! Ignorant. I bet I know who you're friends with.
overly concerned February 12, 2013 at 07:47 pm
I bet I know who you're friends with!
Tony February 12, 2013 at 09:17 pm
You must be blind then if you thoughy the clean up was a great job.
Have you read all the comments left on this page? every single post is a negative post on the current clean up.
AA11 February 12, 2013 at 09:24 pm
Rocky Morabito goes above and beyond for the village of PC. I am not saying he should get a pass on this snowstorm but when Sandy hit everyone praised the DPW. Mr. Morabito is up at 5:00am driving around following the garbage trucks making sure they're doing their job and making sure no garbage is left behind. Did anyone think maybe it isn't his fault that the funds for the DPW for salt and other equipment aren't available? This whole "secret Brine" machine is a joke, that thing has been around for years. It's all just an excuse by Pilla and Steers because before this storm a machine like that was an unneccessary expense. We have had stoms bigger than this and more frequent like this in the past (2010) and we managed just fine with our equipment. By no means is this all the fault of Mr. Morabito. Rocky runs a tight ship at the DPW and would have him anyday over someone who steals hundreds of thousands of dollars in quarters...
overly concerned February 12, 2013 at 09:34 pm
Tony - you must be just reading the negative ones. How are the ARTICLES that are stating how the DPW Dept. worked there butts off for 4 days straight?? Read that! I read quite a few good comments on Mr. Morabito and the DPW Dept. so stop directing your eyes straight towards the negativity and read some positive things for once.
overly concerned February 12, 2013 at 09:36 pm
Agree!
Tony February 12, 2013 at 10:11 pm
I Disagree and thought the town was in bad shape after the storm, lets agree to disagree. Your entitled to your own opionions.
overly concerned February 13, 2013 at 12:31 pm
You are absolutely right you are entitled to your own opinion but what you are not entitled to do is belittle a crew of men who were out there working there butts off while you were in your cozy little house sitting at your computer writing your hateful comments. But sure - lets agree to disagree. Rocky and the crew - keep up the good work!!!!

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Laurie MacAllister June 18, 2013 at 09:20 pm
Ginger, Moe and Frankie. I am privilaged to honor you and Gabby with this funraiser. I would alsoRead More like to thank my family who drive 370 miles to help me and show their love for you. So many volunteers that help. Thank you Tina, Ray and Melissa for holding down the tshirt and bookbag table. Thank you to mom and dad for holding down the refreshment table and to Julie, Carley and Jason for working the raffle table. Also to Gabby for the wonderful tattoos and for Missy for teaching our children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. I would also like to thank Al for bringing the firetruck and all the enjoyment it brought the little ones. Now to all that came and donated, I thank you. Without you all there would be no "WALK". Love you all, Peace and Love, Laurie.
Laurie MacAllister June 18, 2013 at 09:23 pm
One more person, my husband Rusty, you are my glue that holds me together. Thank you for putting upRead More with me through all my craziness. Love you.
Laurie MacAllister June 18, 2013 at 09:28 pm
Sorry Pete from Memorable Moments. You know how much you are appreciated for the wonderful picturesRead More that you took the day of the "walk" words cannot describe how I appreciate you donating your time. Thank you.
PC Lover June 15, 2013 at 09:04 am
Cathy, Westmed should refer to you as "Valued Customer". No person can serve two masters.Read More Every Doctor must ask themself, "Am I serving my patients or am I serving the insurance companies? Because those two are in direct financial conflict with each other. Seven minute maximum "face time" sort of answers that question, doesn't it? Today, medicine is a business...once you accept that fact you will begin to have the proper mind set to better navigate the system as a customer, not as a patient. There are exceptions.
PC Lover June 15, 2013 at 09:06 am
Craig, I may be wrong but I doubt the average doctor at Westmed is making that much money. Do youRead More have a reference for that estimate or just wishful thinking?
PC Lover June 15, 2013 at 09:13 am
Cathy..I agree wholeheartedly. Charging for parking is the epitome of arrogance. As the insuranceRead More companies squeeze Westmed they are trying to pass their overhead onto us, when what they should be doing is dropping the underpaying plans and letting the world know which insurance companies they can no longer accept due to the insurance company's corporate greed. Maybe then the reimbursement will improve. I hope they choke on it.
Craig Noor June 14, 2013 at 05:31 pm
The new picture is decent ... only about 15 percent Byram.
Silvio V. Buccieri June 14, 2013 at 06:29 pm
IF you like roof tops, then this is picture you should keep posted.
FJT June 17, 2013 at 08:43 am
The photo I was referring to was the one that showed the Byram River not the one that's up thereRead More now. The village's own website has some nice photos of Port Chester. Maybe the Patch could ask to borrow one of those, or take their own photo using the same vantage point.
Craig Noor June 13, 2013 at 05:33 pm
ps oh yeah, it's stand by, not standby
Craig Noor June 14, 2013 at 07:40 am
Not surprisingly, the Greenwich patch photo is of a dumpster and the rye patch photo is ofRead More people's,owing crack. Or not pathetic!
Aidan June 14, 2013 at 11:32 am
Keep at it, Katie. It's a small potatoes thing. You'll get it straight, I'm sure. Thanks for theRead More energy.
Sandra Casey June 11, 2013 at 12:37 pm
This photo is still not appropriate. Sorry, but it is more of Byram than of Port Chester. PleaseRead More choose a photo in Port Chester.
Craig Noor June 11, 2013 at 05:36 pm
Yep the left half is Byram ... As I mentioned, if you stood in Byram you could take a picture thatRead More was all Port Chester ...
Bea Conetta June 12, 2013 at 10:07 am
This picture is truly ridiculous, because it is not Port Chester. It is a photo of Byram and aRead More parking lot. As for Patch's new format, I dislike it intensely. Go back to the old format that was more interesting and not so dull. It was good to see the comments of residents and be able to give your own opinion. It wasn't broken, so why change it? I am still waiting to get some help on how to get to my past comments. Can anyone help me with that problem that arose with the new format?
niecey June 10, 2013 at 08:02 am
I agree. It is awful. Go back to old design. I hardly go to the website anymore
Gus garcia June 11, 2013 at 10:26 am
Please! The "OLD "PATCH WAS SO MUCH EASIER TO NAVIGATE!!!!! I USED TO READ IT EVERYDAY! !!Read More NOW I JUST HATE To OPEN it:(
Aidan June 11, 2013 at 03:54 pm
I visit a lot less nowadays.
Gus garcia June 11, 2013 at 10:33 am
This reminds me what " COCA-COLA" DID DECADES AGO! . THEY CAME OUT WITH A DIFFERENT"Read More COKE" NEW! IMPROVED! ETC.ETC. FORMULA. PEOPLE HATED IT THE FIRST DAY IT WENT TO THE SHELVES! LATER ON THEY WENT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL !!! ..... IF IT AINT BROKEN!....
Aidan June 14, 2013 at 11:53 am
Yeah. It's lousy. Admit it and fix it.
Liz Giegerich (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 03:30 pm
Hi Silvio, Thanks for offering. We have a photo to be used. Just waiting for it to be changed by ourRead More tech team. Thank you.
Liz Giegerich (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 03:18 pm
HI everyone, I do not have the ability to change it myself right now. Patch is aware of the repeatedRead More requests for it to be changed. A new photograph will be put in place as soon as possible. Again, sorry for the delay and for the initial mistake that led to this photo being used. The photo that is supposed to be there is the one used on our facebook page right now.
Lisa Gentes-Hunt (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 03:36 pm
Feel free to send feedback about the site directly to AOL. Here is the link. Thanks!Read More http://feedback.aol.com/product/patch/?tid=446&r=http%3A%2F%2Fportchester.patch.com%2Fgroups%2Fopinion%2Fp%2Fplease-go-back-to-the-old-website-design
Craig Noor June 8, 2013 at 07:45 am
I sent my comment on the new pic to that email too and suggest others do too so it can be replacedRead More with a good picture
Silvio V. Buccieri June 6, 2013 at 12:35 pm
what a great comment, this is Port Chester!! what do you expect from this village when you rideRead More around the and you can see all the TV dishes on the building......... and the landlords get fat...
Linda Turturino June 6, 2013 at 02:08 pm
we as a community need to rally and support the efforts to right all the long past due wrongs thisRead More is a terrible situation and I for one will not rest until it is fixed and I will not take responsibility for wrongs made before my Grand Birth
FJT June 17, 2013 at 09:09 am
Sadly, comments that were posted here by Craig Noor and FJT have been removed -- along with anotherRead More commenter's invitation to share more about the issue at hand. Perhaps our comments were too negative in the eyes of certain people with more power than the average Port Chester property owner.
Liz Giegerich (Editor) June 5, 2013 at 10:36 am
I am so sorry about this. We will have it changed as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Anne Latella June 8, 2013 at 11:26 am
I believe the Port Chester High School is the most beautiful High School in Westchester and all ofRead More the surrounding states. Its architecture is incomparable. It should be representative of the village and its residents. Also you might consider the Veterans Monument on Westchester Ave or Lyons Park with the flowers in bloom. All historical and representative of the beauty of the village. Any one of these sites would make a beautiflul
Anne Latella June 8, 2013 at 11:28 am
Patch Picture & represent the village in a magnificent manner.
Craig Noor June 4, 2013 at 07:16 pm
And while I'm on the subject of ugly this redesign is still hideous. Nice inscrutable icon next toRead More my post - it adds nothing, but meanwhile you have removed the preview of people's comments that used to come up when you clicked on their name. And this light gray type is awful. And it doesn't make the ads more visible if that is what you were thinking
Craig Noor June 4, 2013 at 07:17 pm
Wow, hit a paragraph return and it posts your comment prematurely. Are two-paragraph comments tooRead More much sophistication for your audience, advertisers, or editors?
Anna June 4, 2013 at 09:05 pm
I personally like this image of Main Street...although I would agree it is a sloppy photograph andRead More is not framed well. Why pretend that Port Chester is something that it isn't? It's not Rye. And I don't know why you'd rather have an image of generic sailboats as a backdrop.