Port Chester: Snow Clean Up Hampered By Residents On Some Streets

As Port Chester officials look back on this weekend's efforts to remove snow after the blizzard that hit the area, they are finding some residents contributed to local problems pushing snow into the street as they cleaned up their property and cars.

"What has been adding insult to injury is that property owners have been pushing their snow into the street and all areas where there are parked cars are doing the same," said Port Chester Village Manage Christopher Steers. "I have been driving around the village since Friday night and as of (Monday) afternoon almost every street that remains a concern is a direct result of that activity."

Port Chester was hit with an estimated 18 inches of snow from the storm that started Friday and lasted into the early-morning hours of Saturday. While Port Chester's DPW crew worked throughout the storm and through the weekend, the village has been hit by complaints by many residents who were dissatisfied by local road conditions on Sunday and Monday.

Steers and other village officials praised the work of DPW members in and after the storm. However, Steers said the storm exposed problems the DPW has with its equipment and raised issues that need to be addressed as Port Chester prepares its next village budget.

On Monday, Steers said he directed the DPW to do additional plowing in problem areas.

"I directed the DPW crew to re-plow those areas ...," Steers said. "I have to again note that DPW crews have been out working on snow removal almost non-stop in addition to their regular trash service, etc... Our capacity is limited however, and DPW staff still need to be commended on their efforts because they are continuing to do an excellent job with the tools they have."

In addition to the continued plowing, the village has:

- Suspeneded routine street cleaning operations for the week. 

- Kept parking meter rules in effect on Main Street.

- Set bulk removal of snow from Main Street for this week.

Steers said Port Chester is also looking at road treatment methods used by neighboring municipalities for possible use in Port Chester. A key method that made a visibible difference on roads elsewhere - such as in Rye Brook - was the use of a brine solution on roads before the storm.

Steers credits this brine solution for helping keep snow from re-freezing on roads in those communities, giving the roads a snow- and ice-free appearance. Steers noted that as Port Chester crews were clearing snow after the storm, conditions on village roads were affected by the melting and re-freezing of snow and by village property owners and car owners throwing snow into the streets.