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Mostly Cloudy Little snowfall adds up to big savings
There weren’t many snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, snowball fights or snow days this winter on Long Island, which means the people who plow, salt and sand the roads in Valley Stream haven’t had as much weather-related work as they did last winter. And as of this week, it’s officially spring.
The village’s two dozen plus pieces of snow removal equipment also didn’t get much work this winter because there was barely any snow to remove. Wayne Mastrangelo, Valley Stream sanitation and recycling supervisor, said the mild winter saved his department a lot of wear and tear on the machines.
Last winter, Mastrangelo said the streets around the village were negatively impacted from the constant sanding, salting and plowing meaning a lot of potholes had to be filled in the spring. But this winter, he said, “A lot of the streets didn’t take the beating that they normally take over the winter, so that’s a good thing.”
Valley Stream Treasurer Michael Fox said this year the village budgeted $105,000 in the snow fund to pay for overtime costs. So far, it has spent only $17,500 of that. “We had that small little storm in the beginning of winter,” Fox said. “So that leaves us with $87,500 for anything for the rest of the year.”
Fox pointed out that although there hasn’t been much snow this year, there were a pair of significant storms during the summer that caused its fair share of damage — most notably at Hendrickson Park where the administration building filled with three feet of water.
“The mayor and the board have directed me to use excess money that we have in snow overtime to fund the repairs that needed to be done,” Fox said of Hendrickson Park. Construction is still ongoing at the building but Fox estimates a total repair cost between $20,000 and $30,000.
Fox said that unless the board had a specific project or need, or if an emergency arises, the leftover snow fund money would be put back into the village’s reserves.
