Area crews ready for whatever Mother Nature brews

By Kevin Limiti

It is easy to take for granted the pristine roads that resurface after every snow fall.

When Mother Nature sends the winter weather, it isn’t magic that clears away the snow from the streets but the grit of the workers manning the snow plows and checking for ice in the early hours of the morning.

Cooperstown Streets Superintendent Christopher Satriano said that all starts with the vigilance and hard work of one man, who checks the conditions of the road first thing in the morning.

“During the week, I have a guy who works at 4 a.m. every morning to check for ice,” Mr. Satriano said to The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta. “If he comes in the morning and the streets need to be plowed, he checks the list of on-call snow plowers. If it’s just ice, we have two small sanders.”

He said Cooperstown has one big dump truck attached with a plow as well as a few other pickup trucks.

There are four routes divided up among the snow plows, with the workers paying particular attention to key parts of Cooperstown

“We prioritize the hospital, Chestnut Street, and Main Street,” he said, making sure cars can get into the entrances of the village. Bassett is especially important, he said, because it is the biggest employer in the area and people need to get to work – not to mention the need to keep the route clear for emergencies.
He said there were some hindrances to plowing, including cars parked illegally in non-designated parking areas. People tossing snow into the streets from their driveways and sidewalks is also a major headache for the crew.

In addition, prices for snow plow parts are “through the roof,” according to Mr. Satriano, as well as their availability. “The price of steel has gone up so much,” he said.

The snow plows typically work between November and April.

“We don’t usually plow after 4 p.m. unless there is something that is really wild,” Mr. Satriano said. “We all work 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shifts, but we’re all on-call. We’ll come in early and stay late, per the weather.”

In Oneonta, the process is the same, but on a bigger scale.

“We have approximately 40 miles of roadway to maintain,” Public Works Director for Oneonta, Christopher Yacobucci, said. “Roads are divided into 10 separate plow routes and three salt routes.”

The trucks consist of five single-axle, CDL-required dump trucks, three non-CDL dump trucks, one flat bed truck, three pickup trucks, and one loader. There are 13 employees manning these routes with shifts spanning from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“We typically start plowing after two inches of snow accumulation,” Mr. Yacobucci said. “For anything under two inches, we just salt the roadways. For larger snowstorms, we track the storm and plan accordingly. We use approximately 1,500 tons of salt on an average year.”

He said they prioritize the main routes and then tackle the smaller side streets.

“These routes are all done at the same time,” he said. “Each route tries to get to the main throughways first.”

He said the workers are happy to contribute to allowing people to travel safely during snowstorms.

“They find it fulfilling. They take pride in their work,” Mr. Yacobucci said. “They’re there to make sure people get to work and make it safely.”

He said Public Works only uses contractors when the snowfall is above 30 inches. He said they’ve met to prepare for the next snow storm, and are ready for when it comes.

“We’re all prepped and ready to go,” he said.