Snow and New Rochelle’s West End

Written By: Talk of the Sound News

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Once again, many of the streets in the west end have not been plowed – it’s monday afternoon 3:30PM. A casual drive to the north end streets, you will see clean streets – no snow. It’s one of the most ironic things in this diverse city of New Rochelle. No matter how much you scream and yell at the Mayor’s office, it never is enough. He simply does not care. Not sure if the various landscapers in the neighborhood are getting paid by the City, but they are helping out in many of the streets. If they’re not getting paid by the City, then it’s self-help at it’s best. No taxes at work here. We took some photos before sunset on Sickles and Fourth. There is about 10″ of snow in the middle of the street. Salt would help with the slick and hilly roads, but they have been reserved for pricey neighborhood homes on Forest Ave off Pinebrook (been there) and the homes that abut Albert Leonard. Why do we keep complaining? The Mayor does not care for the working class people of New Rochelle. We must endure.

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33 thoughts on “Snow and New Rochelle’s West End”

  1. Valid complaint but racism plays no part

    Mr. Sanchez, I admired you on the school board and as a community leader but I must admit my respect for you is lessened do to your racial comment, which you have now removed. Put the post back to its original state, strikeout the unfortunate knee-jerk racial comment and formally apologize. That said the basic post on the absolutely dreadful snow removal in the west end is valid whether the Italians, Mexicans or another minority is the makeup. The west end is a war zone when it comes to snow removal and it has been for as long as anyone can remember. Dumping snow into the sound is illegal but piling it up in public lots like Hudson & Davenport parks is legal and would be effective. New Rochelle’s garbage trucks are heavier and more effective at plowing but require much more room to navigate so common sense dictates the garbage trucks plow main thoroughfares and the north end with extra wide streets, sparse street parking and in many instances no curbing. The south end, especially the west end, has pick-up trucks designated for plowing which are much less effective especially in snowfalls over six inches. This is no excuse for unacceptable snow removal in that the city administration has been consistent (one party in control for 20-years) and the current city manager has been employed by the City of New Rochelle for nearly that long and has been at the helm for almost a decade. According to City Manager Strome, there are performance reviews after every storm to evaluate the cleanup and identify problems. This is where I am perplexed. With consistent political leadership and stable municipal “professionals” why hasn’t this problem been solved in the last 10 years? Is it that City Hall doesn’t care? Is it that minorities don’t vote? Is there no organization in the south end to speak as a group since there is strength in numbers? It’s probably a combination of all of the above but the overriding fact is that there is no will in City Hall by our elected officials or the City Manager’s staff to devise a strategy that would solve this quality of life disgrace. New Rochelle has lost its focus allowing quality of life issues to be trumped by bike paths, cleaning monuments, removing Lilly pads and GreeNR.

    I’m tired of hearing how hard the men work or how understaffed New Rochelle is or that New Rochelle has the lowest paid municipal employees. No one held a gun to any employee’s head and forced them to work here. Specifically DPW where the average worker makes $40,000 plus overtime paid health insurance and no-contribution guaranteed pensions. Where can these high school graduates (some did not graduate) expect to obtain this level of employment in the private sector? Not to mention civil service unionized protection second only to schoolteachers tenure? Then there’s double dipping, clocking out at the city yard and clocking in at the Board of Education by 3 PM to work security. Let’s not forget the “get-it-and-go” policy whereby when the garbage is picked up by 10 AM the men are done for the day and free to leave. What happened to an honest days work [8 hours] for an honest days pay? No one cared when times were good but the world is making a major correction and so must our civil servants.

    1. I would like to know the pay you would pay
      NRinfo

      I would like to know the pay you would pay a DPW worker? what do you think is fair?

      keep in mind he has to live here, has 2 kids age 2 and 4 so the wife cant work, and like every one else wants to live in a house

      That means take the tax from his pay and take the tax out to for the house

      please tell me I would like to know!

      1. An employees’ personal life,
        An employees’ personal life, ie are they married, do they have kids, where do they live, has nothing to do with what they should be paid.

        Its never a good idea to go to your boss and say I need a raise because my kids sick and its costing me alot of money. Nor is it a good idea to say, my school taxes went up 5.2% so I need a 5.2% raise. Thats not how it works. If you tried, I’m covering 2 peoples jobs by myself or I implimented some cost saving procedure and therefore I deserve to make an additional 5.2%, that’s a whole lot different.

        But as to your question, what should the plow guy/gal make? I’d say, well it doesn’t really require any particular skill, all you need to do is drive a truck so I’m thinking somewhere around $35-40k annual salary, but the plow guys don’t do this on an annual basis. I’d say a more appropriate wage would be hourly, somewhere between $10 to $20 per hour w/no benefits.

        Whats your thoughts on the salary?

      2. I was really trying to say an
        I was really trying to say an average DPW worker and not just a plow guy but a DPW worker

        “Whats your thoughts on the salary?”

        For a DPW worker i would say avg 40-50k

        lets no forget the wear on tear on their body’s over someone that sit in an office chair

        I think at 10 bucks an hour you would get a lot people that would not take their job seriously, your more likely to be a better person and more responsible the more you make.

  2. I remember as far back as the
    I remember as far back as the 1950’s when a storm like the “Blizzard of 2010” hit New Rochelle a total clean up of all neighborhoods was done. The city hired outside dump trucks and loaders by the hour and, along with it’s own equipment, cleaned the streets from curb to curb with the snow loads taken to Hudson Park and dumped into the Sound (Probably not legal now).The cost is more than likely out of range today.The practice of hiring outside equipment was still being used into the 1970’s at times on the main throughfares.

    I wonder how the city will do today with a trash pick-up scheduled. Many streets are impassable and I would think they need the sanitation trucks for plowing.

  3. Please Post Original Article
    Mr. Sanchez,

    To clarify the confusion, please post your article in its origin otherwise all comments regarding your post will continue to be out of context. We don’t want that now, do we? Thanks.

    Best,
    Kyle

  4. sure does look like it was
    sure does look like it was plowed. hum wonder what the pile lines are form from a plow maybe??

    where would like the rest of the snow? on top of the cars, In every picture i can see the street, you post is a joke!

    They try to plow every street and this one was, there’s just no place with car parked all over and at least 15″ of freaking snow

    I would like to add they plow to make a passable path then when they can they do a clean up and as big of a storm and wind still blowing snow on main road you will just have to wait!

    deal with it!

  5. because you made a stupid
    because you made a stupid statement, the west end is a mess because all the cars on the street, and all the people shoveling the snow into the street. all the surrounding towns don’t allow parking on the street, and the streets are clean. its not because the city of new Rochelle doesn’t like Mexicans.

  6. Yeah, you sound like a
    Yeah, you sound like a retarded mexican…come dig out my car for ten bucks.

    1. don corleone is beyond idiotic – why do you even exist?
      don corleone is beyond idiotic – why do you even exist?

      1. well i can not speak for him,
        well i can not speak for Don Corleone, but i will say you brought it on you self by saying “racism anyone”

        No one would no that now that since you took off you post.

  7. “Racism anyone” where does
    “Racism anyone” where does Racism fit in to all that?

    Please buy a scanner and listen to DPW workers and the problems they have with car stuck on a street with no where to go because of cars parked on both sides of the street, north end has open streets easy to clean. go to DPW and ask to see their route book every driver has one and logs in what streets they do on there shift and any problems.

    One thing you would find out is there’s some trucks that go there and some that stay down here. you make it like they went up there and no where else. Play your race card some other time.

    1. Agreed…
      Mr. Sanchez is always very good at pulling that card out of his wallet.
      The “West End” has always been been a challenge to plow and sweep, long before it’s demographics changed to majority hispanic. It was the same when my family grew up there in the 50’s through the 80’s(Italian). The only racist is the one that points race out.

      1. think
        think outside the box. Are you able to do that? Do you have solutions? Complaining to City Hall and reminding them to do the right thing is a good thing. Just because it existed 50 years doesn’t mean you don’t complain now. You sound defeated and resigned to mediocrity.

      2. Re: think
        So, playing the race card is thinking outside the box? I have no problem with complaining if you are not happy with city services, but your original statement regarding racism was simply ignorant.
        Just admit the “mistake” and think first next time before you hit save.

      3. not from the neighborhood
        Don Corleone hides behind the anonymity of his screen name. A coward and a racist. Show yourself or are you too afraid for people to know the true person you really are? Be courageous and let us know who you are or resign to live a life as a coward hooded racist you seem to be.

      4. You started with the “racism
        You started with the “racism anyone” remark in your post, if you think becuase a street was not cleared in the west end is racism then layer up a sue them.

        And a coward is some one that wrote something then deleted it becuase it was wrong in the first place.

      5. Just adding my two cents
        I am not posting this on the tails of the comment that it follows, but rather to the entire thread.

        I agree with Sanchez, that because a problem had existed since the 50’s we should not be content with the same as it always was defense.

        However, to point racism at the city is even more ludicrous.

        The problem is several fold. For starters, Mr. Cox is dead on. If a snow emergency is declared then streets should be FREE of PARKED CARS…and cars on the streets should be ticketed if not towed.

        Secondly, our DPW crews. Lets face facts, they are understaffed, and they are largely unchecked and often inefficient in contrast to neighboring communities. The proof is in the pudding here, and our street staff needs a good kick in the ass, for lack of a better explanation.

        Finally, lets face facts. YES we are taxed to the gills in New Rochelle, but our city portion is gravely underfunded.

        Eight firefighters hurt in a blaze. The are very short on manpower…and now our streets a bloody mess from a snowstorm…..understaffed…and why were the snow emergency routes not cleared of cars? Our cops are also undermanned.

        Wake up people, when a corrupt board of ed is sucking our pockets dry our elected officials are impotent when they have to raise taxes to pay for services that WE ALL NEED!!!!!!!

      6. one penny back for your 2 cents
        Your wrong on some things and you get one penny back for your 2 cents

        FedUpinNewRo Wrote “The proof is in the pudding here, and our street staff needs a good kick in the ass, for lack of a better explanation.”

        Understaffed yes unchecked no, as i told Mr Sanchez “go buy a scanner and listen in on DPW then you! would need a kick in your ass. You have no Idea what go’s on and how hard they work under some really bad conditions.

      7. keep my two cents, i insist
        You have tone one of two things, either a dpw trying to justify the half assert job you do, or just blinder by a veil of ignorance.

        Garbage men who work until 3pm, dropping trash and leaving it. Never replacing pails curbside.

        And how about this “white gold”? Don’t cry to me about tough conditional. You clowns stay up praying for snow. It equals overtime. And please.go peep out neighboring communities. New Rochelle does a.deplorable job with snow removal.

        And you are unchecked. Your scanner does not report the bull. Three trucks Parked in front of the diner for not one but two hours!!!! Explain that one.

        Id take a crew of sanchezs boys any day over new rochelles dpw

      8. I don’t work for the city, I
        I don’t work for the city, I just see it from both side and you don’t

        Once again buy a scanner you would learn a lot, telling a story form one side is not a story it’s hear say.

        You will also find out racism has not part of it! as this is what the post was about until the coward changed it.

      9. who are you
        show yourself – stop hiding behind the anonymity of your screen name. have courage – come out an play!

      10. ok ill reveal
        ok ill reveal myself………………………………………………………………
        …………………im noam bramsom……..here i am

      11. I can not give out my real
        I can not give out my real name as I own a shop here in New Rochelle, and if i did I would have to be politically correct and fit in with a click, then i would have to be one sided or two face and that’s not me.

      12. You are wrong
        I see it from both sides. Trust me. And there is no denying the fact that in the midst of the snow removal process three plow and salt trucks from the city were parked in front of the diner on North Avenue for now fewer than two hours…on our dime and a half…It’s “white gold” this snow is for all of the DPW guys. Lets not kid ourselves.

        Oh, and I do work for the city, I am well aware of the drill here.

      13. never mention this very important fact
        funny how you point all this out after you first post never mention this very important fact! but if you say so

        If true did you get the numbers off the trucks?, did you report the truck?, do you know why they were park there?, did you tape them?

        Also there are laws that you can not drive after 11 hours of driving you have to take a break and the breaks are in hours not minutes, was this the case? please fill in the rest of the story not just you side

        maybe it just got to bad out there after 12 winds gust up 50-55 mph

      14. No,no no
        What is the sense of bellyaching here? Im sure that whether they had a legit reason or not, the DPW would have a legal answer for this blatant misuse of vehicles and manpower.

    2. and im not a racist. i love
      and im not a racist. i love Mexicans. if it weren’t for them my grass wouldn’t get cut, or the leaves wouldn’t get cleaned.

    3. DPW did a pretty good job overall
      This was a lot of snow and tough conditions with the wind. I think they did a better job with this 17-20 inch blizzard than the minor little storm a few days ago with 1-2 inches. Odd but I think true.

      One issue I intend to explore is why the City bothers to declare a snow emergency and then does not enforce the snow emergency rules.

      Let’s either take down all the snow emergency street signs and stop announcing snow emergencies or declare one and start towing cars.

      If you look through the photos I took today you will see row upon row of illegally parked cars (ie parked on snow emergency streets during a snow emergency) and not a ticket not a tow truck in sight.

      If a blizzard with 50-60 mph winds and 1-3 inches of snow an hour for 1.5 to 2 feet of snow does not qualify to enforce a “snow emergency” then what would?

      1. Good but not good enough
        There are too many streets in New Rochelle that have been completely ignored by both salt and plow trucks. Take a look at the east end. Roads like Harding Dr. and Cooper Dr. off of Palmer Ave that house thousands of working residents have yet to see a plow. I know many residents in that area who will not be able to get to work tomorrow once again.

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