BLOOMFIELD and GLEN RIDGE, NJ — A winter storm coupled with a nor‘easterner deposited up to 12-inches of snow in Bloomfield and Glen Ridge on Wednesday, March 7.
The combined results of snow and moisture produced the toughest storm the public works departments of both communities have faced in memory, according to their directors.
“As far since I’ve been here, 24 years, with trees coming down, it was the toughest,” said Glen Ridge DPW Director Bill Bartlett this past Monday.
Neighboring Bloomfield DPW Director Anthony Nesto agreed.
“The guys here said it was the worst,” Nesto said last week. “We got a foot of snow and the weight. That was the biggest thing, with wires down and trees.”
Both departments began work early the day of the storm.”
“It really started hitting the fan at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday,” said Nesto. “I’m glad I didn’t bring in the whole crew at 4:40 a.m. It was a salting event to a plowing event. We started salting at 12:30 p.m. and went into plowing at 2:30 p.m. In those two hours, we had 3 inches of snow. That’s how hard it was snowing.”
Both DPWs had all hands on deck.
For the purpose of plowing the streets, Bloomfield is divided into nine parts, each with three sections. Municipal parking lots are also cleared of snow so residents can clear their cars from the street.
“We put plows on everything,” Nesto said.
In Bloomfield, some DPW workers put in 32 straight hours.
“They came in at 7 a.m. on Wednesday and worked until Thursday, 7 a.m., and then their regular shift,” Nesto said. “They rested and hydrated. We worked hand in hand with Bloomfield Public Safety.”
Nesto had between 25 and 30 plows working at any given time.
“But there are 405 streets in Bloomfield,” he said. “Each guy has to plow 15 streets. That’s a big number. It was tough keeping up with the storm, but I think most residents were satisfied.”
The Bloomfield DPW received about 45 calls from residents concerned with power lines and tree limbs. Ten township trees and four on private property came down.
In Bloomfield, one township tree fell against a house in the 400-block of Broughton Avenue. Nesto dispatched DPW employee Bob Schlaefer.
“He can climb a tree like a raccoon,” Nesto said. “Not too many climbers out there. The other guys do bucket work.”
A crane was brought in on Saturday when the tree was to be removed.
At the Broughton address on Friday, Schlaefer assessed the work to be done. He said the tree had been weakened the previous week when a trunk growing from the base was snapped off by a storm. This trunk fell across the street.
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