Municipalities continue storm cleanup
Days after a massive storm buried the region in upwards of 2 feet of snow, local municipalities still were digging out Tuesday and wondering what to do with the huge icy mounds along their roadways. States of emergency are still in place in Brownsville Borough and Luzerne Township, even though many of the roads are now cleared of snow.
“It’s continued so we have permission to use outside resources,” said Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan. “As a borough, we normally have to bid everything out. With the state of emergency, we can just hire people.”
Ryan said she received calls from residents on at least seven streets that hadn’t been plowed as of Tuesday afternoon. The borough owns only one plow truck.
“We are not half where we wanted to be. It just takes a lot longer than we thought,” she said.
The activation of local military units has dealt a blow to the community, Ryan said.
“The last time we had a problem, the Army Reserve transportation unit came in to help us, and it went a lot quicker because they had so much more equipment. But now they’ve been deployed…and we don’t have the extra equipment to help,” she said.
D.J. Angelone, the emergency management coordinator for Luzerne Township, said two of the township’s four trucks are still out of service, necessitating the continuation of the state of emergency.
“We want to make sure we don’t need any more outside resources to keep things passable,” Angelone said. “Crews are still out clearing the roads. All the roads are now passable, and travel conditions are back to normal.”
Angelone said some areas in the township, especially around East Millsboro, still need additional work.
The state of emergency declared Sunday in West Brownsville officially was lifted Tuesday.
“I think we can lift the state of emergency, because everyone can get around,” said Mayor Martin Brockman Jr. “The roads are open where people can maneuver. We have a few alleys that need to be opened yet. I’d just like to thank everyone, including the residents, who helped us.”
In Connellsville, the city street department continues to have problems removing snow from several neighborhoods where vehicles are parked on the roadways.
Connellsville Police Chief Stephen Cooper said officers have been lending assistance to road crews by going door to door, requesting that car owners park on the same side of the street to allow crews to remove the snow.
“With people parked on both sides of the road, all they can do is a path, and that is not solving the problem,” he said.
Vernon Ohler, city street department foreman, asks residents who live on streets that run north and south to park their vehicles on the east side of the street on Wednesday. Those residing on east- and west-running roads are asked to park on the north side of the street.
“If residents would do this, we could really clear the streets in a day or two,” said Ohler.
After the crews have moved through the street, vehicles should be moved to the opposite side of the road for additional clearing Thursday.
Workers in neighboring communities of Dunbar and Bullskin townships were on the job at 5 a.m. addressing the higher elevation areas, where problems continued to hamper vehicular travel.
“We still have a couple of roads that we haven’t been able to get to just yet,” said Dunbar Township Supervisor Tom Yekel. “We’re working on it.”
Yekel said Greenbriar Road and portions of Kingan Hill remained snow covered but are slated for snow removal within the next few days.
A spokesman for Bullskin Township said crews were clearing intersections and “problem areas” throughout the day.
“We’re getting there,” he said.
South Connellsville Borough Mayor Pete Casini said he would lift the state of emergency today that was imposed on Sunday.
“We’ve got the roads pretty well under control now,” he said.
In Washington County, California Mayor Gerald “Galvie” Gardner said he expects the snow cleanup to take at least three days, provided the borough can continue to use outside contractors.
While the roads are clear and a state of emergency was lifted Monday afternoon, Gardner said parking restrictions are still in place to allow for snow removal. No parked vehicles are allowed on First, Second, Third, Fourth, Ash, Union and Liberty streets, as well as Green Street from the 100 to 500 block.
Gardner said the streets are clear, but high snowdrifts are posing parking problems, especially downtown. He said his main concern is that drifts will impede business in the borough or comuters to California University of Pennsylvania.
“I want people to be able to park and get out of their cars. I don’t want to hurt the business people,” he said.
In Centerville, Mayor Frank Stanko lifted the borough’s state of emergency Tuesday at 5 p.m., and police and the road crew have been put back on their regular schedule.
“Some of the streets in town are snow packed. They are passable, but we’re still ashing, and people should still be careful,” Stanko said.
Stanko mentioned snow accumulations on the edge of the streets and berms, and he urged residents to clear their vehicles.
Centerville Councilman Fred Roberts, the road supervisor, said the borough road crew worked Tuesday to widen intersections and clear alleyways.
“We’ve been pushing it over hills and putting it wherever there is a spot,” Roberts said.
Editor’s note: Herald-Standard Staff Writers Christine Haines, Patty Shultz and April Straughters contributed to this report.