Syracuse, NY – The City of Syracuse will put all of its snowplows on the streets to try to keep up with the 20+ inches of snow expected, but the city will be facing some serious problems.
Syracuse Public Works Commissioner Jeremy Robinson said Monday afternoon that the city will use all of its available resources to try to keep the streets clear.
However, only 17 of the city’s 26 plows are currently in working order, Robinson said. That means about 35 percent of the city’s plows won’t be out on the road. Many of them could take a long time to repair, he said.
The city has 43 drivers, down two to four from last year, Robinson said.
But about half of current drivers are new and have never plowed before, Robinson said. This means that some do not navigate the streets as fast as experienced drivers.
“Be patient, stay off the roads and obey the parking laws,” Robinson advised the community for the next two days. “We’re going to be out there doing our best to clear those roads.”
A much smaller snowstorm — about 6 inches — on Friday night proved too much for the city.
Unplowed roads made it impossible or very difficult to pass through hills and side streets through Saturday.
Many city streets were not plowed Saturday morning, according to the city’s website, which allows residents to monitor traffic.
“The response did not meet our standard of performance and we are taking immediate steps to correct it,” Robinson told syracuse.com this weekend. He said Monday that some of that responsibility “falls on me.”
The city underestimated how much snow would fall, Robinson said.
Robinson said only nine snowplows were on the road Saturday.
Employees must be notified 72 hours in advance that they will need to work a shift, Robinson said. No one was sent to work on Saturday, but nine showed up for the optional work day.
That won’t be the case Monday and Tuesday, Robinson said. The city will have a full staff ready to go and all 17 plows will be out, he said.
Robinson said his team’s key issue was understaffing. He said the city is still looking for 30 more drivers.
Robinson added that many drivers in the city are easily recruited by other organizations for better pay.
The city is offering just over $20 an hour and a strong benefits package, Robinson said.
Some private companies, the county and the state pay their drivers more, Robinson said. He said that could change in the coming year as the union prepares to negotiate a new contract.
For now, Robinson said he and his team will do everything they can to keep the citizens of Syracuse safe in the coming days.
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