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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. A mild winter is a welcome relief for Croton's Department of Public Works employees who struggled through a storm filled summer, and a snowy winter in 2011.
Last year we went way over, and if we came under this year that would be good, but winters not over yet, said Ann Gallelli, Village Trustee. Last year the village Department of Public Works went $69,946 over budget, largely in overtime costs.
Year-to-date only a little over $33,000 is spent from the $308,250 budget, mostly during Octobers freak snowstorm. Last year the village used roughly 1,800 tons of salt to clean the 35 miles of roads, in the 4.4 square miles the village covers.
"The reprieve here is welcome from a budgetary standpoint," said Marco Gennarelli, DPW Director.
DPW is not the only department which works overtime during noreasters. Police and fire departments also work more because of increased accidents and dangerous conditions.
Basically its been a relief, said Lt. Russel Harper of the Croton Police Department, about the mild winter. In years past when weve had heavy snowfalls and icy conditions, we have an enormous amount of trees down on power lines, and people without power. We get more accidents on the roadways, which require more police presence, which requires more manpower, which requires me to bring people in on overtime," he said.
At the end of each conversation, however, both Harper and Gallelli held their breath and said, Lets keep our fingers crossed.
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