Snow day

North Bergen awoke to around 8 inches of snow Wednesday morning, the result of a storm that may have caused a few snow days, but not the havoc that followed the blizzard of Dec. 26.
“We handled [this most recent storm] easily because we’re good at it,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco.
Last week the Reporter published a story on North Bergen’s snow removal plan, which caused a flurry of comments questioning why the snow budget of $400,000 was wiped out after the year’s first blizzard.
Township Administrator Christopher Pianese said that while the budget was used up, the township still has a $200,000 snow removal reserve to pull from, as well as applying for funds from Federal Emergency Management Agency. Pianese said that the most recent storm would cost around $100,000 to $150,000.
“It’s honestly not practical to budget for a blizzard,” said Pianese. “If we budgeted for a blizzard and got one every six years, we’d be criticized for over budgeting for snow removal.”
Sacco said that snow removal was expensive to provide, but necessary.
While residents may have had to dig their cars and sidewalks out, the roadways in North Bergen were cleared quickly. Some decided to spend the morning at James J. Braddock Park, where the snow has been allowed to remain, transforming the park into a sanctuary for winter fun.