Tube City Almanac

February 10, 2010

Snow Removal: A Reader Writes

Category: Another Viewpoint || By Webmaster

The following is a reader's commentary. It does not reflect the views of the board of directors of Tube City Community Media Inc. or contributors to Tube City Almanac.

. . .

Reader "Joe Lysle" responds to Tuesday's Almanac by passing along a link to the Daily News and says:

The biggest problem was sightseeing? Really? Really?

Not that we maybe don't have enough trucks, or salt, or people to drive those trucks? He's actually going to blame everyone else for this? Bulls--t.

I'll admit, I wasn't here for most of it. I was in Mansfield, Ohio, from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. But what I did see was a salt spreader "preparing" for the storm on Friday by laying a singular 30-foot strip of salt down Grandview (next to the cemetery) after following it the entire way up Versailles from Coursin Street.

When my wife hiked around the neighborhood (down to Lampert's and then up again towards the Viking) on Saturday, she saw no sign of any truck at all.

When I got home on Sunday, I didn't see any vehicles until Monday early afternoon, when I saw two of the public works trucks inexplicably go down Garbett Avenue, get stuck in the snow on the side of the road, then call a backhoe to pull them out.

Did the backhoe drop the plow on any of the four trips it made up and down Garbett, Abraham or Grandview? No. I watched.

A few hours later, I actually did see a few loaded salt trucks (with plows) make a handful of trips around our corner. Did they spread salt or lower the plow? Nope. Not once.

I know this, because I watched again. It's easy to hear them coming because there's no other traffic in our neighborhood.

Our neighborhood didn't actually get a plowing pass until late (Tuesday) night.

My neighbors and I have been doing our part. We've been digging out the other folks, helping to push cars through the intersection, and clearing the street.

All I'm asking is that the City not act like the reason we didn't get serviced is because we were in the way, or make some false assertion that they're "getting everywhere as soon as they can."

If there were so many tourists and sightseers, then I suppose I should put up my Christmas lights again and collect a donation from each car like I'm the f---ing Celebration of Lights at Oglebay.

I actually went to work yesterday morning, and the obvious shortcomings of our ineffectual City management and public works employees was only further underscored by the fact that both Walnut and Fifth Avenue were still in p-ss-poor condition three days after the storm began, but that I saw two employees sharing the back-breaking labor of pushing a single one-handed salt spreader on the clean, snow-free, dry section of sidewalk in front of the police/fire building -- while another one carried a shovel and watched.

. . .

The preceding was a guest commentary. Responsible replies are welcome.

Tube City Community Media is committed to printing viewpoints from residents of the McKeesport area and surrounding municipalities. Commentaries are accepted at the discretion of the editor and may be edited for content or length.

To submit a commentary for consideration, please write to P.O. Box 94, McKeesport 15134, or email jtogyer -at - gmail -dot- com. Include contact information and your real name. A pen name may be substituted with approval of the editor.

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Your Comments are Welcome!

Here’s an interesting take on the problems we have in the DC area. I think a lot of these suggestions could apply everywhere.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020903503.html
Dan - February 11, 2010




Give me a break, they were not sightseeing.

Those were votors taking pictures of the city’s poor response to the weather conditions to send in to television stations, newspapers, and websites. They also posted them on social network sites.

Do you think the news was concerned about our streets on their own? Wonder why the newspaper showed pictures of route 48?

Becuase the people spoke. At some points you could tell where a plow truck was based on facebook comments. People are not stupid. They can see via the internet how other communities stack up. They can read about snow removal procedures. They can justify their outrage.

One sentiment I continue to hear is why retail stores and businesses can have such well plowed lots twenty four hours after the storm. All I can point out is that those contractors get paid by the job, not by the hour.
A.S. - February 11, 2010




Why would Penn-Dot contract a state hiway to a city with 8 snow plows? 2 of which are dedicated to Duq. Light and the ambulance service. Penn-Dot could have easily finished plowing and salting 48 and 148 into the city.
Bob - February 11, 2010




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- March 19, 2015




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