SYRACUSE, NY – The City is sitting under more than 30 inches of snow. That’s about two inches over the average for the entire month of December.
“To us, this isn’t an emergency,” Pete O’Connor, Commissioner of Syracuse DPW said. “It’s just a storm.”
O’Connor has about 80 crew members in the “Snow and Ice” team at the Syracuse DPW. Roughly a quarter of those workers spend their time off the streets and in a garage keeping the plows moving.
But the garage isn’t a two-door, 100 square foot facility. The area spans three football fields. At 3pm, Tuesday, James Wilkos, Fleet Manager, has five plows in for service.
“Right now, I’ve got eight heavy equipment mechanics, two auto mechanics, I have a machinist, two welders and one tire guy and a body guy,” Wilkos said.
His team of mechanics are working rotating 12-hour shifts, matching the hours the plows are running.
“Our plow crews, are running 12-hour shifts. O’Connor said. “From 7am to 7pm and then from 7pm to 7am.”
“You know who really has the toughest job,” he said. “Our custodian.”
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