Neighbors on Hartford Avenue say they’re doing the job the city hasn’t by digging out after a blizzard buried Staten Island under nearly two feet of snow.
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Neighbors on Hartford Avenue say they’re doing the job the city hasn’t by digging out after a blizzard buried Staten Island under nearly two feet of snow
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said frustration isn’t aimed at workers, but at the cleanup plan from higher up
According to the acting sanitation commissioner, the city deployed an additional 65 pieces of equipment into Staten Island Monday morning because the process was slow and tedious
“I’m hoping they come down with another plow. Apparently, they haven’t come down since 11 p.m. last night,” West Brighton resident Joseph Fiorito said.
Just a block away on the main thoroughfare of Bement Avenue, traffic is moving. But on side streets like Hartford, residents say the storm never really left.
“My friends in Brooklyn, they look like they can drive, no problem at this point,” Fiorito said.
With temperatures stuck below freezing, the snow is beginning to harden, turning the cleanup into a block-by-block grind.
“This year, it seems like we’re the forgotten borough. I hate to say it,” West Brighton resident Patricia Rizzo said.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said frustration isn’t aimed at workers, but at the cleanup plan from higher up.
“The sanitation guys, they’re working 12-hour shifts. They’re working their tails off. They’re hardly sleeping. It’s not about them,” Fossella said.
He said city agencies later acknowledged mistakes and moved to bring in help.
“A lot of narrow streets, hilly blocks, we deployed an additional 65 pieces of equipment into Staten Island this morning because it was just slow and tedious,” Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan said.
And hours after residents started digging on their own, the plows finally arrived around 7:30 p.m.
Even then, crews struggled to push through snow packed high along the street.
City schools are set to reopen Tuesday, even as some private schools remain closed — a decision some elected officials say came too soon for Staten Islanders.
“I think the decision to open schools tomorrow is both irresponsible and dangerous,” Assemblymember Mike Tannousis said.