Town of Huntington's Highway Superintendent Explains Snow Removal Issues

Photos: Wall Street and New Street around 11:15 a.m. Monday

After 23-29 inches of snow dropped down onto Huntington streets, employees worked 40 hours straight this weekend to facilitate the snow removal efforts within the Town of Huntington.

Following the second largest snowstorm to hit the area in just 24 hours, the Town’s Highway Department had a lot of work to do.

Patch spoke to Highway Superintendent Pete Gunther who explained his frustrations. ‘I’d like to apologize to some of the residents,” he said. “We’re trying to do the best we can.”

Gunther said residents have a right to be frustrated. While he was in Huntington Station earlier Monday, one angry resident even gave him the middle finger.

While all main roads are clear and most of the secondary streets are done, the biggest problem with the snow removal efforts was the numbered streets in Huntington Station.

Cars that remained on the streets during the plowing were snowed-in. When residents dug out their cars, the snow just went back into the middle of the street. “After people dig out their cars, it looks like [the Highway Department] never [plowed the streets],” Gunther said.

Some streets had up to 15 cars parked in the road during the snowstorm. “Some of the trucks can’t fit between them,” Gunther said.

Residents are asked to please remove their cars from the streets during snowstorms. “It presents a big hardship on the Highway Department,” he said.

Residents were not shy complaining about the status of the roads, and many thought schools should not have opened Monday due to the conditions.

On a Huntington Patch Facebook post, one resident wrote: “That’s why I had to call the Town to have my road plowed??? The Village was a mess yesterday as well. They made my already narrow block a one-way street as well.”

Another said: “A 2-hour delay for school because the roads were supposed to be cleared. My bus was stuck on 9th and 3rd Ave. The road are not even close to clear. You have no idea how many buses were stuck. Now it’s 2 p.m. and they look better than this morning.”

Gunther told Patch he recently sent an apology to the Whitman superintendent. “I know the buses had a problem on those numbered streets. We’re in the process of trying to fix it.”

The department knows there are some streets that were missed and they’re taking full responsibility. “We’re not perfect, but we sure try like hell,” Gunther said.

Another snow removal setback for the Town was snowblowers. Residents removed the snow from their property using snowblowers and the snow just went back into the streets. Islip recently implemented a $250 fine to anyone who commits this offense and Gunther says he’s going to speak to the Town Board about creating a similar fine in Huntington.

The snow battle isn’t over for the Highway Department. They will stay late Monday and will be working all through the night once again.

The state is also working on cleaning up state roads like Route 110 and Main Street. These roads also had the same problem as the numbered streets in Huntington Station.

The Town of Huntington sent the following message to residents on Facebook:

To all of you who have posted snow clearance issues on Facebook: Your comments have been referred to the Highway Superintendent. But you should contact him directly, through the Town website or by calling 499-0444. That will make it easier for him to get back to you.

• Do you think the Town could’ve handled the snow removal efforts better? Sound off in the comments below.