State of emergency continues in Uniontown
Uniontown Mayor Jim Sileo said the state of emergency in the city will last two or three more days to give road crews more time to clear streets of the thick blanket of snow that fell Sunday and Monday. Sileo said the street department managed to open both lanes on main roads in the city and one lane on side streets on Sunday and Monday, but the work has taken a toll on employees, equipment and the city budget.
All four salt trucks were out of commission Tuesday with broken axles. Replacement parts were ordered, and Sileo said he hoped the vehicles would return to service by the end of the day.
Sileo said he was extremely grateful to the South Union Township supervisors for loaning one of its trucks to the city, and to the Fayette County commissioners for loaning out a bridge department truck and employee.
City residents have to be patient about the condition of the streets they live on due to the truck shortage and the amount of snow deposited by the storm, Sileo said. He asked residents not to drive in town unless they have to for work, grocery shopping, doctor appointments or other necessary travel.
“I’m asking everybody in Uniontown to be patient. We know where you are. We’ll get to you,” Sileo said. “Don’t go out joyriding to look at the piles of snow. It’s hindering our efforts. If you don’t have to drive, don’t.”
The sewage department has been helping remove snow with its vehicles and a city garbage truck was fitted with a snowplow to help clear streets until the street department trucks are back on the road.
Sileo said garbage collection has been halted until the alleys and side streets that are used for pick up are clear enough for sanitation trucks to reach them.
Street department employees have been working almost non-stop since Sunday and now have many hours of overtime.
“The guys down there are tired. They’re bushed,” Sileo said. “They’ll take five or six hours off to go home and sleep, then they’re right back at it.”
The city has supplies of road salt and anti-skid material, but more of both have been ordered.
About 60 tons of salt and 250 tons of anti-skid were on hand as of Tuesday morning. The city ordered 245 more tons of salt and 150 tons of ash.
Sileo said salt costs $33.74 per ton and the anti-skid costs $8 per ton. Both are contractual prices that have not been impacted by supply and demand forces.
Costs related to the recent snowstorm are not yet known, but the harsh winter has already consumed most of the city’s $60,000 snow removal budget.
Sileo said almost $40,000 of the snow budget was spent as of three weeks ago.
He said he hopes the declared state of emergency will make the city eligible for state and federal funding.
The mayor also said residents should not shovel snow from their driveways or sidewalks onto city streets. Doing so violates an ordinance that carries a $300 fine.
But even the city is running out of room for the snow. Bailey Park is almost filled to capacity with snow removed from city streets. Sileo said OC Cluss Lumber is allowing the city to dump snow in one of its lots.
Sileo commended street and sewage department employees for their efforts and the Uniontown Police Reserve for directing traffic when needed.
“I love them all,” Sileo said. “I can’t thank them enough.”