IRVINGTON, NJ — The township faced its third snowstorm of the year on Monday, April 2, and, according to Mayor Tony Vauss and Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers, came through it with flying colors.
“The DPW and Police Division handled the snow well again,” said Bowers on Tuesday, April 3. “It really wasn’t the snow’s volume, but rather it was the timing of the storm, which took place during the morning commute, for those who had to travel for work, school, etc. The weather cleared up nicely in the afternoon. As a result, normal traffic conditions returned, allowing for a smooth commute. Everything seems to be going well.”
The biggest difference between the third snowstorm this year and the two that preceded it was that Gov. Phil Murphy did not declare a state of emergency, as he had done on Wednesday, March 21, and Tuesday, March 6, through Wednesday, March 7.
“Whenever the governor declared a state of emergency, it helped a little, but we still have to pay for the snow removal, salt, cleanup and man hours,” said Vauss on Monday, April 2. “Gov. Phil Murphy did declare a state of emergency the first two times it snowed, so all of our snow-related expenses will be defrayed to a certain extent, but it’s only like 15 cents on the dollar. I’m very proud of our Department of Public Works and our Public Safety Department for how they handled these snowstorms.”
Wednesday, March 21, was the second time Murphy had declared a state of emergency across New Jersey to citizens safe by keeping them off the roads until the snowstorm ended and the cleanup and removal effort was complete. Vauss and Bowers applauded the township and Public Safety Department’s response to the first big snowfall on Irvington from Tuesday, March 6, through Wednesday, March 7, but that storm — accompanied by a rainstorm and high winds — did more damage in town and cost more to deal with than the snow, the mayor said.
“We had almost 50 downed trees,” said Vauss on Tuesday, March 13, referring to the first snowstorm. “We had trees on houses and all types of things. Our crew was out there and they were just slicing and dicing.”
Vauss said he doesn’t have any accurate measures for the total amount of snow that fell on Irvington during the three storms, but it was enough to warrant a first-rate response from the township’s emergency service providers. Bowers also praised Public Safety Department personnel for their work during both storms.
“The coordinated efforts between the various departments allowed us to keep the roads clear as possible to respond to emergencies and storm related events like downed trees and power lines,” said Bowers on Tuesday, March 13, referring to the first snowstorm. “All in all, together we did a great job, under the circumstances. We received many good compliments form citizens for our efforts.”
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