JANUARY 15, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The temperatures have turned a little colder since the start of the New Year, but the weather has remained unseasonably pleasant in northern New Jersey.
Most notably, the past couple of months have lacked the cycle of snowstorms that blanketed the region in each of the past two years with several feet of powder, which can cause havoc for many municipalities as they attempt to keep streets clear and safe.
Instead, the village has been able to focus on tasks not normally associated with this time of year.
Director of Operations Rich Calbi said without snow, village employees can spend more time on routine maintenance, such as fixing potholes. The unseasonable warmth has allowed workers to continue using hot asphalt to fill potholes, which Calbi said tends to have a longer lifespan than a substance known as cold patch.
However, Calbi said the relative lack of potholes in the village is due to the investment made last year in completing numerous paving projects.
“The village put forth a major effort budget-wise with infrastructure,” said Calbi. “They completed miles of road this year and that has a great effect on how many potholes we have had to fill.”
Other such routine maintenance includes the cleaning of catch basins and performing additional cleanups of the roadways beyond leaf season.
In past years, the end of leaf season and the beginning of snowy weather have occurred back-to-back, but a dearth of snow has allowed the village to perform extra sweeps post-leaf collection to pick up extra debris.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/weather/lack-of-snow-precipitating-positives-1.1492234
