Central New York struggles to keep up with snow

In more than 30 years, business owner Mike Hennigan has had snow removed from his businesses parking once, reports The Post-Standard. Already this year, he’s had it removed three times.

“We’re graced with a great business and we need every spot in our lot to make it work,” said Hennigan, owner of Nichols Liquors and Grocery Store in Liverpool.

According to The Post-Standard, municipalities, villages and some business have been greatly affected by the constant snow and freezing cold temperatures – and they have been trying desperately to get rid of it.

Commissioner Pete O’Connor said the Department of Public Works has struggled to find time to remove the snow from the downtown and business district areas because crews are busy keeping the roads clear.

“We’re doing 12 hours a day,” O’Connor said. “The men, they’re getting run down. There’s no doubt about it. We need a little break here.”

When time and weather permit, city crews work at night to move the snow to the two-story-high pile on City Crossroads Drive off of Peat Street, between Erie Boulevard East and Interstate 690, O’Connor said.

A similar situation is happening in the city of Oswego, which, according to DPW commissioner Michael Smith, has snow piled up to almost 60-feet tall.

In the village of Fayetteville, DPW superintendent Jim Craw expects to surpass the average of 90 snow-plow trips per season.

“When snow stays on the ground as long as it has this year, it adds up and adds up,” Craw said. “People are starting to get tired of it.”

With the winter season approaching its last month, grocery store owner Hennigan believes he’ll have to get snow plowed out again.

“We’re pretty much there right now to do it a fourth time,” Hennigan said.