Snow And Ice Removal Planned This Weekend In Newtown Borough

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Newtown Borough announced on Friday that it will be conducting targeted snow and ice removal this weekend on State Street between Jefferson Avenue and Penn Street and at several targeted intersections.

The clearing operations will take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 and on Sunday, Feb. 8 to address lingering snow and ice along State Street, borough officials said.

Temporary parking restrictions will be enforced on State Street to ensure crews can safely complete their work.

Several intersections will also be impacted by the snow and ice removal efforts. They include:

• State Street at Washington Avenue
• State Street at Centre Avenue
• State Street at Penn Street.
• Washington Avenue at Lincoln Avenue
• Lincoln Avenue at Penn Street
• Jefferson Avenue at Chancellor Street.

The clearing operation comes days after a handful of borough business owners blasted the borough council for its response to snow and ice removal in the downtown area in the wake of the Jan. 25 storm. The snow clearing left mounds of snow and ice along State Street, covering fire hydrants, making it difficult to walk in places and cutting down on parking spots, the business owners said.

Snow piles along South State Street in Newtown Borough. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

"Something needs to be done," business owner Gina Santoro told council on Wednesday. "I'm not asking you to clean the sidewalks. I'm asking you to clean curb to curb. Today I witnessed one of my fellow residents carrying a wheelchair over blocks of snow in the crosswalk."

In a letter she sent to the borough earlier in the day, Santoro said "fire hydrants remain buried. Crosswalks are unusable or entirely invisible. Massive piles of snow have been left in walkways and along streets, forcing pedestrians to climb over dangerous barriers just to get to work, shop, or conduct business. These are not minor oversights — they are serious safety hazards that place residents, employees, and visitors at risk."

A woman from State Street Kitchen joined Santoro in her critisim of the snow removal. "As a senior citizen, trying to cross State Street at the corners is ridiculous. I have lived here for 30 years. Once before this happened. I do remember that there was a follow up to clear the street better. We're losing business. Our customers are telling us there's no place to park and there's no place to walk."

After listening to the concerns, Council President Emily Heinz assured the business owners that discussions were taking place with the borough's contractor regarding additional snow clearing operations. "Those are conversations that are happening," she told the businesses.

In addition to announcing the snow clearing operations on Friday, borough officials urged residents to make preparations for dangerously cold weather and high winds forecast for over the weekend.

Strong winds are forecast for Saturday, with gusts that may make travel difficult. These winds could also cause downed branches in the area.

Extreme cold is anticipated from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Residents and visitors should prepare for dangerously low wind chills during this time. The Borough encourages everyone to use caution and plan ahead for the conditions.

Limiting exposure to the cold is also advised where possible. These measures are intended to help ensure public safety during the snow removal operations and the period of extreme weather.