Hit hard last winter by a flurry of criticism about not properly cleaning up the snow from various storms, the administration of Mayor Dawn Zimmer says it has adequately prepared for any snow emergencies that may arise this winter. The city has purchased new snow removal equipment and has held meetings to make sure each city agency knows its responsibilities in the event of a blizzard.
In an October letter to The Hoboken Reporter, resident Paul Lichstein challenged the city to better prepare for snow than it had last winter, when Hoboken received 47.5 inches of snowfall, according to the New Jersey State Climatologist and the National Weather Service. After one snowfall, mounds remained in parking spots for weeks, turning to ice.
“We must be humble enough to allow the self-examination that allows us do better than last year,” wrote Lichstein. “By acting now, we can do careful, detailed work before the first flakes fall.”
Zimmer spokesman Juan Melli highlighted a number of steps the city will take to mitigate the severity of a large snowfall if and when it comes this winter. These include laying down brine a day in advance, which he said would melt the first inch or two of snow under the right conditions.
However, Melli stressed that it was the responsibility of the owner or occupant of each house in the city to remove the snow and ice from the sidewalk fronting their residence within six hours of a snowfall, including wheelchair ramps and curb cuts. Under city ordinance, the snow cannot be pushed into the street.
Melli said the city will be sending out proactive inspectors to issue tickets for non-compliance, and encouraged residents to report unshoveled sidewalks by calling 201-420-2012 or logging a complaint at hoboken311.com. According to the municipal code, violating the sidewalk shoveling ordinance carries a minimum fine of $100.
Zimmer declined an interview request for this article.
New equipment
While long-term forecasting is anything but exact, the models for Hoboken suggest that this winter could see snowfalls rivaling or surpassing last year’s spread. According to a U.S. Winter Outlook released in October by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, Hoboken has an equal chance of maintaining last year’s temperatures, and at least a 33 percent chance of seeing more precipitation between December and February.
Melli said among other steps, the city has expanded its snow removal fleet. In October, the City Council voted to purchase two Ventrac 4500Z tractors specially designed for snow removal. The vehicles can be outfitted with a spinning broom, snow blower, plow or salt spreader, each of which were also purchased for both tractors.
The full cost of the tractors and their accouterments is around $86,000. Representatives from the Ventrac vendor gave public works employees an equipment demonstration this week, and the vehicles themselves are scheduled to be delivered next week, according to Melli.
In addition, the high water vehicle purchased by the city last year as part of its flood preparedness in response to Superstorm Sandy can be repurposed as a snow plow. In the event of a large storm, he said, it will be used on wider streets like Washington Street.
The new vehicles complement a citywide fleet that includes nine small trucks with plows, two large trucks with salt spreaders and plows, two roll-off dumpsters, two SUVs with plows, a Jeep with a plow, a salt-spreading dump truck, two payloaders, and a Bobcat, according to Melli.
In the case of an exceptionally large storm, the city also has an agreement in place to procure heavy equipment from an outside vendor.
Regardless of her preparedness, said Melli, Mayor Zimmer still has no control over what happens on a number of key roads in the city. Hoboken has one of the highest percentages of county roads of any city in Hudson County, and crucial corridors like Newark Street, Fourteenth Street, Observer Highway, and Willow Avenue are under county purview.
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.
SIDEBAR
Some residents must move cars if snow falls
Finding street parking in Hoboken can be hard enough, but each winter, residents have to figure out where to move cars parked on major thoroughfares if a storm is coming.
Parts of eight streets have been designated Snow Emergency Routes for use by public safety vehicles during large storm events. If the roads are snow-covered or the Office of Emergency Management has declared a snow emergency, all parked cars on those routes must be removed. Vehicles in violation will be towed.
Hoboken’s snow emergency routes are indicated by signs reading “No Parking When Road Is Snow Covered,” and a map can be viewed online at hobokennj.org/snow. The routes include both sides of Washington Street and 17th Street, as well parts of Willow Avenue, Third Street, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Thirteenth streets.
During snow emergencies, cars with resident or temporary permits can park in Garage B, located at 28 Second St., at a discounted rate of $5 per day. Space is available on a first-come first-served basis.
In the rest of the city, alternate side parking rules are suspended during declared snow emergencies, and can be suspended outside of them at the discretion of the Office of Emergency Management coordinator.