Thomas MacMillan Photo
As a main Fair Haven traffic artery remained “a nightmare” for drivers a day after a snowstorm, aldermen from neighborhoods across town demanded answers from City Hall about New Haven’s handling of the historic mounds of white stuff. And a new explanation emerged for why some smaller streets went days without getting plowed.
Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro is one of several city lawmakers up in arms about the condition of streets following Thursday’s snowstorm. She said on Friday that the current amount of snow still on Grand Avenue means that it takes an hour to get from Ferry Street to James Street. That’s a distance of about seven blocks.
Meanwhile in West Rock, Alderman Darnell Goldson said it’s taken multiple phone calls and in-person visits to get the Department of Public Works to plow streets in his ward. Some of those streets hadn’t been touched by a plow blade for three snow storms, until Friday afternoon, he said.
Fueled by frustration, Goldson and Dixwell Alderman Greg Morehead have submitted a request for a briefing on the city’s snow emergency practices and policies. They said they want answers on how the city does plowing triage, snow removal staffing, and communication between the city and the public during snow emergencies.
Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts said the city is ready to provide aldermen with answers and always interested in feedback. He also provided more detail of the plowing difficulties the city faces, including the fact that small trucks can’t handle big snow and big trucks can’t handle small streets.
Smuts said the snowfall total for January is up to 42 inches, including 18 inches from Thursday’s storm. That caught the city by surprise, since it was more than predicted, Smuts said.
“The main problem was that we just didn’t understand what was going on,” Goldson (pictured) said on Friday. Valley Place North and South — two dead-end roads off of Valley Street — were not plowed at all, he said. “I had to deliver milk to one of the ladies there because she couldn’t get out.”
“We just want to get an idea of what the process is,” he said. When do they start plowing when it snows? How do they determine which side to park on?
In some cities, as some Independent readers have suggested), municipalities put parking bans on the odd sides of streets on an odd calendar day, and on even sides on even days, Goldson said. “Why are we not using a system like that?”
“We just want to go through that process with them and maybe make some recommendations,” Goldson said, before offering several.
First, city plow drivers and outside contractors need better supervision and quality control, Goldson said. He said he called up the Department of Public Works to report that certain streets were unplowed and was told that records showed that they had been plowed. Someone needs to go out and make sure the plows are doing everything the drivers say they are, he said.
Second, the city should follow through with parking bans, Goldson said. If the city is going to threaten to tow cars, then it should do so, he said. “Now the message is you can do whatever you want because nothing happens.”
Finally, communication needs improvement, Goldson said. “You can’t just say, ‘Be patient,’” he said. People deserve to hear when they can expect their street plowed. “There’s no rhyme or reason as to when people are going to be done.”
Goldson acknowledged that the city is struggling with a winter of historic snowfall. “Again, it’s about communication. Find a way to tell people what will happen and when it will happen.”
“This is a nightmare. A nightmare,” said Alderwoman Castro on Friday. She echoed Goldson’s sentiment that communication is a central issue.
She said she and other community leaders worked hard to get out the message that there should be no parking on the odd side of Grand Avenue. Then traffic and parking came through and seemed to give tickets to everyone on both sides of the street, she said. But there was no towing and not enough plowing, she said.
She said she called public works and was told Grand Avenue would be cleared on Sunday. “Sunday?!” she said. Grand Avenue is Fair Haven’s main thoroughfare and needs to be passable now, she said.
“It’s chaotic out here. We can’t get out,” she said. “I want answers. What’s going on? Where is the communication here?”
Castro said neighbors are ready and willing to cooperate with the city, but they keep getting mixed signals.
“This is unacceptable. It’s completely unacceptable,” Castro said. “Where is it they’re doing the clean up?”
Thomas MacMillan File Photo
By phone on Friday, Smuts (pictured) offered one explanation for why some streets may have gone unplowed. The amount of snow is such that the city’s smaller plow trucks don’t have the power to push through it on some streets, and the city’s bigger trucks don’t have room to work because the streets have been narrowed so much, Smuts said.
Smuts said that’s the case for a number of streets in town, including Frances Hunter Drive, where Alderman Morehead lives. Other such streets include Arthur Street, Hotchkiss Street, some in Fair Haven and some in East Rock, Smuts said.
So what to do? Smuts offered several strategies: On some streets, the city can send in a big snowblower, re-assign its most talented plow operators to handle tight spots, or start ticketing and towing. That last option is complicated by the difficulty of getting a tow truck in to pull out the cars, and by the inconvenience to residents, Smuts said.
Responding to Goldson’s criticisms about supervision, Smuts said, “It’s always necessary to have adequate supervision. We’ve been running our supervisors ragged.” The city has been operating a 24-hour snow removal operation for basically two weeks, he said.
“It’s a question of resources,” Smuts said. The city has reduced the number of supervisors in recent years, he said. “I’d rather have more plowers than supervisors.”
As for the complaints about communications, Smuts said it’s always a balance of too much versus too little. Some have complained that the city has been pestering them with too much information, Smuts said.
“We’ve been doing our best to get the message out there,” he said. People can sign up to receive phone calls through the city website and they can always call 946-SNOW for information, he said.
“People know there’s a lot of snow out there,” he said. “They should take some responsibility in finding out what‘s going on.”
And making the plow guys live IN the city will make things better, right?