Vacca and Palma Sponsor Blizzard Bill

It's hard to think about snow right now, with the weather outside hitting a sunny 73 and the Mister Softee trucks finally making their rounds through the neighborhood, but try to remember that post-Christmas blizzard that dumped two feet of snow on the city, leaving a string of stranded MTA buses--and perturbed residents--in its unplowed wake.

To avoid another snow fiasco like that one, Bronx City Council Members James Vacca and Annabel Palma sponsored a bill, passed last week, that requires the Department of Sanitation to prepare and publish snow-removal plans each winter for all five boroughs.

"Last December’s blizzard revealed how woefully unprepared the City was to deal with these kinds of major storms," Palma said in a press release.

The required plans must include a list of primary, secondary and tertiary streets (the terms the Sanitation Department used to classify blocks in order of plowing-importance) to be published online, along with criteria for each ranking.

"During the December blizzard, we heard a lot of talk about tertiary streets and how they were the lowest priority for snowplows. Well, tertiary streets are where taxpayers like you and I live, and many of us didn’t see plows until days after the blizzard was over," Vacca said.

"That’s unacceptable. This bill will put the City’s feet to the fire so that they are forced not only to have a plan but also to explain why they chose to have the plan they chose to have."

During this winter's blizzard, some outer borough streets and neighborhoods went unplowed and snowed-in for several days, to the frustration of those who lived there.

The new law also requires the Sanitation Department to provide detailed plans for removing snow from bus stops, an inventory of snow management equipment and personnel by community district, and contact information for personnel that residents and elected officials can call on.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan 25

As I'm sure you can see, this never-ending winter has blessed us with more snow this morning. The weather means delays on the 2 line in the Bronx, according to the MTA's website, so give yourself a little extra travel time today if you're taking the train.

Speaking of snow: the City Council held its fifth public blizzard response hearing at Hostos Community College last night, where Residents and Borough President Diaz blasted the city and the Sanitation Department for the slow snow cleanup.

A fire broke out early this morning at three multi-family homes on Arthur Avenue in Tremont, with one tenant taken to St. Barnabas Hospital after going into cardiac arrest.

An NYPD car mix-up resulted in one Norwood resident's arrest--for stealing his own vehicle, the Daily News reports.  Jamieson Prince, 43, is now suing the police department for $1 million.

The driver of a van that flipped over in a fatal accident in September is facing felony charges for driving with a revoked license. The accident killed six people, including the pastor at Joy Fellowship Christian Assemblies in the Bronx, and his wife.

Sen. Jeff Klein and his newly formed Independent Democratic Conference are criticizing the Office of Children and Family Services, which oversees the State's youth prisons, for racking up overtime and compensation claims.

A few Bronx women told the Huffington Post that they think Mayor Bloomberg is out of touch, in response to recent remarks he made about the city's streets being safe for women at night.

Police have identified one of the bodies found near a Long Island beach to be Bronx resident Melissa Barthelemy, 27. Investigators believe a serial killer may be responsible for her death and the deaths of three other woman, who all advertised themselves as sex workers on Craigslist.

As John F. Kennedy High School in Marble Hill prepares for closure next year by the DOE, charter school group New Visions for Public Schools is testing the neighborhood waters. The organization plans to open two new schools on Kennedy's site.

The Wall Street Journal posted this video footage of the explosive excavation of a tunnel at the Croton Water Filtration Plant. The $3 billion project at Van Cortlandt Park has been rife with scandal and delays since it began (here are some archived stories from the Norwood News)



[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.