Gillen Pledges To Review Hempstead Town Snow Removal Procedures

Town of Supervisor Laura Gillen announced that her office is compiling a comprehensive investigative report on the town’s snow removal operations from the snow storm that hit Long Island last Thursday, and intends to publicly publish the report within the month.

“Let me be clear: the hardworking men and women who spent countless hours salting and plowing our roads deserve our praise and gratitude for their efforts,” said Gillen. “I believe we can improve our response to the residents and give our workers the tools they need to be even more successful by taking a closer look at how to improve the systems that have been in place for years before I arrived.”

The review will take into account the town’s current staffing and equipment levels, along with how the various departments that handle snow removal communicate with one another and are organized. The supervisor’s office will then make public recommendations to the town’s various snow removal departments.

Currently, the Town of Hempstead’s snow removal operations are handled by the town’s Department of Highways, Sanitation and Parks and Recreation.

“Nobody can deny the severity of the storm that we experienced, which coupled with blistering winds, made snow removal a constant struggle against Mother Nature,” Gillen said. “But I, along with many local residents, believe that we can do better. We fully intend to improve our departments by rooting out issues of concern so that our response to the next storm will be improved.”

Photo: Patch