Council Meeting 1/15/14
Councilman Mickey Gross
By: Joseph L. Kuchie
SOUTH AMBOY – Issues raised about snow removal and recycling pickup after the recent snowstorm in South Amboy were discussed during last Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Resident Barbara Pasternick criticized the lack of communication from the city to its residents both before and after the storm. She said she wasn’t given any updates about the weather conditions and city officials did not answer her phone calls regarding recycling or the upcoming council meeting.
“The communication during the snowstorm was abdominal; there was none. I thought we learned from Sandy,” Pasternick said. “The only thing that was there was a warning about the snowstorm. There was nothing until a week later…I called about the garbage pickup and the meeting and got no response.”
Councilwoman Zusette Dato defended the city saying she did receive updates from the Nixel alert system and a special pickup was provided for recycling to make up for the one lost during the storm.
“I got an update saying that there were centers setup and that the local YMCA was available,” Dato said. “It took us time to work that out but Councilman Gross worked it out so we could get a special pickup which we weren’t originally supposed to get.”
Business Administrator Camille Tooker also pointed out that normally a delayed pickup is not an issue and that usually there aren’t rescheduled pick- ups. She said that residents would typically have to wait until the next scheduled pick- up.
“In the past when recycling wasn’t picked up it wasn’t as big an issue… this time people had their holiday recycling,” Tooker said. “Normally if there’s a snowstorm they will not pick up recycling and they will not come until the next time…we were lucky to have them come into town.”
Snow removal was also a large concern to some residents including Ken Feely, who explained that the snow removal on many streets were not up to par.
“Lately it’s been getting worse and worse throughout the entire town,” Feely said. “I understand there’s cut backs but there’s still an obligation to the town to make sure it’s taken from curb to curb.”
President Joseph Connors said that cars parked on the side of the road prevent plows from getting the entire street cleared after a storm. Feely explained that even streets without cars parked on the side were only being plowed down the middle.
“They come right down the middle of the street and don’t do anything…they leave snow five feet out from the curb,” Connors said. “I’ve measured it many times. For years I’ve taken my own snow blower into the street. I shouldn’t have to be doing this anymore.”
Resident Nancy McLaughlin also pointed out that many crosswalks in town were not cleaned after the storm and it made it difficult to cross streets over the weekend. The council said they did not know who was responsible for cross- walks but President Connors noted that he would typically clear the crosswalk near his home.
All council members were in attendance for Wednesday’s meeting.
