Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - In the days leading up to the deadline for the City of Buffalo to release its Winter Snow Plan, Mayor Byron Brown officially announced details of the plan late Monday afternoon.
The snow plan addresses a number of different topics, including snow removal, police and fire emergency response, community support, parking protocols, communication protocols and more. Some of these elements were generated by Mayor Brown’s Storm Response Task Force.
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In the hours since it was submitted to the Buffalo Common Council, city lawmakers have gotten the chance to glance through the plan, trying to get a feel for what will be the impact on this upcoming winter season in the city.
"There's a lot to go through, we're combing through it, and I'm excited and looking forward to asking questions in our council committees next week, and just really ask the commissioner [Nate Marton] and hear from him about what will improve on the streets of the City of Buffalo this year," said Lovejoy District Councilman Bryan Bollman with WBEN.
In his time reading over the Snow Plan for the upcoming winter, University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt is not trying to be too critical of the submitted Snow Plan, but does point out some things that stick out in his mind.
"The number of snow plows that we have. Last year, we had 44, and this year, we only have 30, so that's a concern," said Wyatt in an interview with WBEN. "I know we have some that we have put an order in, but again, depending on the type of snowfall we get; if we don't get a blizzard, we should be fine, I guess. But the concern that we go from 44 to 30, that's something that's stuck right out. And then we have some vehicles that are coming to us from New York State - six vehicles coming on loan."
Among the notable concerns heading into the winter season in Buffalo was the hiring of two positions that were significant in responding to potential winter storms like last year, or other emergencies that may take place within the city.
The hirings of an Emergency Services Manager and Fleet Manager were both announced on Tuesday by Mayor Brown, which did concern city lawmakers that neither position had been filled prior to Monday's formal announcement.
For Councilman Bollman, he says knowing those positions have been filled allows him to breathe a bit easier heading into the winter months.
"We want to see a Fleet Manager, Emergency Coordinator onboard, active, and making an impact in this winter season," Bollman said. "An Emergency Manager was something that was very important to me and the Council. We had at Buff State, a professor came in who teaches emergency planning, and the depth and wealth of knowledge that they had and just looking at, if you [look at] warming shelters, they were talked about identifying buildings that were assets and using them as resources in times of emergency. Emergency management for a blizzard, yes, but overall preparedness for the City of Buffalo, that's a win for us having that hire made."
Meanwhile, Councilman Wyatt is not ready to rest easy knowing the two positions have been filled just yet, especially with the Emergency Services position.
"It depends on the person," he said. "I know they've put out there this person has 20 years experience, so I guess once we get an opportunity to have conversation, we will know. At the end of the day, this person should have been on so they could have gotten acclimated to how the Western New York area, Buffalo operates, the connections and those things. I don't know if this person, at this point in time, can hit the ground running if we have an emergency. That's why I think the Common Council was pushing so desperately, really, to get somebody on board sooner than later."
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Also highlighted as part of the city's Winter Snow Plan on Monday was the Emergency Warming Shelters for those who may be without power and in need of safety, or those who may find themselves trapped out in the storm.
Depending on the type of storm expected, emergency shelters may be opened and advertised to residents ahead of the storm. A decision will be made prior to an winter weather event which locations will be opened. Once selected, the Department of Community Services, along with its partners, will staff the shelters. The shelters will also have cots, water, and food.
There will be nine designated sites as warming shelters, one per-district, which includes the JFK Community Center, Tosh Collins Community Center, Peter Machnica Community Center, Gloria J. Parks Community Center, Asarese-Matters Community Center, Delavan-Grider Community Center, West Side Community Services, Lincoln Fieldhouse, and the North Buffalo Community Center.
However, are nine warming shelters enough in the eyes of the Common Council?
"Nine is better than three, but I want one in every neighborhood," Bollman said. "Remember during the blizzard, accessibility was so touchy, we couldn't even get down the street. We saw private businesses, churches opening up, welcoming strangers into their homes. I think the government definitely has a role to play in that, and we need to facilitate. So yes, we have nine locations, one in each district, but I need to see more in neighborhoods."
Bollman also believes the city has a willing partner in the Buffalo Public School District to add more locations for residents in the event of another blizzard or major winter event.
"I say we make that connection, we build off that partnership. I want to see accessibility for our residents, because I remember how bad it was during the blizzard last year. It was really tough for residents just getting down the street, so we need to have locations available," Bollman said.
As for Wyatt, he feels the city needs to be partnering with other groups as well to provide sheltering services in the event of another major winter storm. At this point in time, he knows that his particular warming center in the University District is not currently ready to accommodate residents.
"[Monday], I had a conversation with someone from the American Red Cross and found out they weren't even consulted in any of this, which concerns me. These warming centers, the American Red Cross could be a resource. Right now, I'm talking to someone in my district regarding the warming center, and they don't even have the cots or those things, not even the generators, at this point in time. So again, we've been pushing this all along, because we knew we were going to get to this point, and we just had snow [Tuesday]."
So what else is on the docket for Common Council members when they're able to ask questions of the Snow Plan to city administration come next Tuesday?
One thing Councilman Bollman is seeing right off the bat in the Snow Plan is the allocation of roughly $1 million for private contractors when conditions get really bad.
"I know during the November storm, during the blizzard, we used about $10 million last year to cover those costs. $1 million doesn't sound sufficient at this point, so I'll be asking those questions at committee hearings to the commissioner directly, to his team," he said. "We want to see the overall impact improve. We want to see snow removal in the City of Buffalo improved. That's what we're looking forward to next Tuesday."
As for Wyatt, he continues to remain concerned about the number of snow plows the city has available, especially with how aged many of them are.
"Just like a car, a 10-year-old, 20-year-old car, it breaks down, and we saw that through the emergency that a lot of those vehicles broke down," Wyatt said. "I'm hoping we can get through this particular snow season, and that we can get the other equipment online so that, again, we can put our residents at ease that we are going to be able to do all we say we do."