New highway chief, crew win snow battle

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

When the stormy, snow-filled winds of winter hit the area and temperatures plunged into single digits, Grand Island’s Highway Department was ready.

New Highway Superintendent Jim Sedita, elected to the post in November, credits his crew with meeting the challenge head-on and keeping the roads of Grand Island safe and clear.

It all began late Sunday, Jan. 18, and got worse from there. The winter blast didn’t ease up until this past weekend.

Many people already had a day off that first Monday to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. But going outdoors wasn’t really on the agenda of anyone who didn’t have to snow blow or shovel for hours to clear the driveway and sidewalks.

The Highway Department handled the roads handily, and helped some folks who were struggling.

“This past snowfall, we were our 18 to 20 hours in that prolonged snow event,” Sedita said. “The guys went home for 6 ½ to 7 hours, and then they came back to do a cleanup at 3 p.m. the following day.

“What we did during the high time of that snow event, instead of running just seven trucks, which is the norm here, we had two extra people come in from the Water Department and we ran an eighth truck just so the guys could get off the main roads and get into the secondaries and into the neighborhoods, so people see trucks and so we could stay ahead of it.”

There was a Good Samaritan component, too.

“There were some neighbors that were over off the Parkway-Broadway area that were trying to clear the end of their driveways. It was just too much for them to take care of it on their own. So, we just helped the best we could to clear some of the ends of the driveways.”

Sedita said, overall, the snowstorm was manageable and not the worst one in recent memory.

“It worked out pretty good. There were certain parts that were more challenging, with the drifting that occurred,” he said.

Snow enrobes portions of Buckhorn Island State Park. (Photo by Alice Gerard)

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Looking back at the event, Sedita said the brunt of the bad weather happened around Jan. 21.

“Everything’s blending together because it’s been blowing every single day,” he said this past Monday.

Sedita said the crews went out Monday, Feb. 1, doing mailbox repairs.

“We have a cold patch truck out; there’s a few potholes that are starting to pop out again, so we’re trying to stay ahead of that, too,” Sedita said. “It’s been good – everybody’s been working good together and it’s been a real blessing. I’ve got a great crew and everybody’s doing what they have to do to get it done.”

He said the department had a solid game plan to deal with a storm of this intensity.

“Prior to coming into this position, I met extensively with Dick Crawford (previous highway superintendent), and he pretty much got me up to speed as far as everything that takes place here,” Sedita said. “We adjusted a few things here and there. But for the most part, the guys are still on their same work schedule. The big thing is rotating, trying to get everybody out of here at 9 o’clock in the evening if they’re in an overtime event or if it’s major snow event. Letting them go home, relax, or get some sleep and coming back by 3 (a.m.) so we can get ahead of it before the traffic’s on the road and the school buses are out.”

Sedita said the biggest help was bringing in that extra truck: “It freed up the guys to get into the runs.”

He said that, when the storm was at its height, his department worked closely with Supervisor Peter Marston and the whole Town Board.

“They were there with resources, too. It was a group effort,” Sedita noted.

Buckhorn Island State Park

Big Six Marina

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He said drivers try to fan out the plowed snow the best that they so people have adequate visibility.

“Once the banks get over a certain height, we try to wing back and shelf the snow so you have visibility on both sides of the street for people not only coming out of their driveways but also coming off the intersections to get on the main roads, too,” Sedita said.

Salt has not been in short supply as it was last winter.

“As of yet, those no difficulty in getting salt,” Sedita said. “The biggest thing is we’ve been overlapping our deliveries in anticipation of the next storm that comes up. We’re three to four days in advance of what we need as far as what we have in the barn. We’re probably at about two-thirds right now. That should actually, depending on the weather – with Western New York you never know – it’s more than sufficient to probably take use through to the end of February or the beginning of March.”

“As far as this last storm, we probably put down about 420 ton of salt over the course of a week and a half, including that major storm we had.”

Willow Carr and Lennox Keefe play on a Ferry Village snow pile. (Photo by Kadi Carr)

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Sedita said the feedback from residents has been good.

“We got a lot of compliments, actually,” he said. “We got one compliment from New York state. The guy who reached out to us said, ‘We haven’t seen Grand Island look this good,’ and I said, ‘We’ve been staying on it.’ It’s not just because there’s a new person in here, but Mr. Crawford a great job prior to me. It’s just this has been a pretty bad winter, so I think maybe it’s a little more noticeable because there is snow.”

He added, “Over the 30-plus years that I’ve done it in that capacity with Tonawanda, now moving here, looking back, I would say there was anywhere between five to eight storms” where you would say, “Wow, this is a real storm.”

“The storm that just passed, it was a bad storm. It was nowhere near as bad as the Christmas storm of 2022, but it still ranked up in the top 20. It was very manageable,” Sedita said.

When asked if there were any lessons learned from this storm, he said, “I don’t think we missed a beat. The biggest thing, as far as the snowbanks and that, we’re going to work a little bit harder in clearing corners, just so there’s better visibility. It’s only a group of 15 guys here, total. You have to pick and choose wisely where you’re going to go and put your resources.”

Sedita said when he and Deputy Highway Superintendent John Carncross came on board, they started a department Facebook page. He said they are trying to put information out to the public about observing winter parking restrictions so plows can do their job.

“The police have stepped up. They are actually out a few nights a week now putting tickets on parked cars. It helps us immensely. All in all, I think they put our 36 to 40 tickets, and it did subside and fall off,” Sedita said. “The taxpayers are definitely stepping up and helping. And I think everybody understands during a storm that it’s a whole puzzle that has to be put together, and everybody’s putting forth a good effort.”

Sedita comes to the job after more than 30 years in the Town of Tonawanda Highway Department. At the time he left for Grand Island’s job, he was the department’s supervising mechanic.

“First and foremost, it was definitely a warm welcome to come over here. It was a breath of fresh air, not only for myself, but for my deputy,” he said. “I just want to put it out there that these guys do an amazing job. They’re here 24/7. They go above and beyond. I’m here just to orchestrate, but I want to make it known that those are the guys out there that are doing the work. That’s where the tires are hitting the road. I couldn’t ask for a better crew.”