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Municipalities Cope After The Snow

Temperatures across New York and New England hit sub-zero levels Tuesday morning, a day after a storm dumped more than a foot of snow from Buffalo to the Hudson Valley. The Sunday-Monday snowfall has triggered several municipal snow emergencies.

The storm impacted local streets and highways. Numerous accidents were reported Tuesday and tri-city traffic was truly bumper-to-bumper as vehicles inched along for the morning rush hour commute.  But that should change as roadways are cleared.

A snow emergency declared in Troy took effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, with parking forbidden on the odd numbered side of designated snow emergency streets. That "designated streets" clause is causing some confusion... according to officials, there are no even/odd side snow emergency regulations in the Central Downtown Business District (Federal St. to Ferry St. / Front St. to 7th Ave), but, "normal" parking restrictions are being strictly enforced.

During the next 24-hour cycle (beginning 8 a.m. Wednesday), parking is prohibited on the even numbered side of designated snow emergency streets.  Last fall, a new snow removal plan developed by city officials was put into place.  Mayor Lou Rosamilia tells NewsChannel 13 this is his first snow emergency since he took office three years ago; and the first he can recall since the early 2000s.    “The first year of my administration there was little or no snow, it wasn't an issue. Last year was the first time it reared its head.”

The City of Albany has declared a snow emergency starting at 8 p.m. At that time, all vehicles must be parked on the even sides of the street. At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, they must switch to the odd sides of the street for the next 24 hours.

Improperly parked cars will likely be ticketed and towed.     Dan Mirabile is Commissioner of Albany's Department of General Services.   "The neighborhoods we focus on include downtown, Center Square, where there's parking on both sides of the street and there's narrower streets. The college neighborhood, Myrtle, Morris, over there. We hit the mansion neighborhood over by the governor's mansion..."  ...just to name a few...

Rensselaer had declared a snow emergency Sunday night; it is now extended. At 8 p.m., no parking will be allowed on the odd side of the street for 24 hours.  Schenectady police say there is no snow emergency in the Electric City.  Myriad other municipalities have enacted snow emergencies. Check with local authorities for details.

And officials are reminding neighborhood residents to clear fire hydrants of snow so firefighters can find them in case of an emergency. Again, Dan Mirabile:   "If you have one out front, clear it out - that's a message from the fire department. We also ask that, and this is one of the major problems we have, that folks are either plowing, snowblowing or shoveling snow into the street. Once it goes into the street there 's only one place it can go, and that's back to the curb. It makes it very difficult for us to continue to clear the streets."

On a lighter note, Mirabile says DGS doesn’t pay much attention to the likes of Pennsylvania groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, who on Monday forecast six more weeks of winter.   Legend has it that if a groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early. Meteorologists might quibble with the methodology, but either way, six weeks isn't that far off...

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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