Update from Lakewood DPW Director Pat Donnelly and Committeeman Lichtenstein on cleanup efforts around town

DPW Director Pat Donnelly tells he is very pleased the way the operation is going so far – especially given the fact that the blizzard hit Lakewood with between 10-14 inches of snow, and drifts higher than that.

Donnelly says the Department still has approximately 124 pieces of equipment that have been running since 4 AM this morning, and will continue to run.

The Director says almost every road in town has been plowed at least once, and some multiple times.

By approximately 2:30 AM on Friday morning, the Department should have a very good handle on things, Donnelly says.

The first crew operated from 4AM-4PM today, and the second crew began at 4 PM and will run through 4 AM. Another crew will take over again at 4AM.

“We’re not shutting down for about a day and a half,” says Donnelly.

Donnelly thanked his staff and Township Committee and Mayor for their support.

“I’m extremely pleased with how the staff stepped up to the plate,” Donnelly says, but adds that it was a collective effort and team support from the Mayor and the Township Committee members.

The Director says he was also very pleased with the fact that the sanitation department was able to run the trash pickups until about 12:30 PM this afternoon, and intends to do the same tomorrow.

The L buses also ran as long as they felt it was safe to do so. Donnelly thanked all the drivers, as specifically Shalon Egert for remaining on shift as long as he could to pick up as many passengers off the roads as he could. “Kudos to him,” he said.

Committeeman Lichtenstein says Donnelly’s job so far has been very impressive.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive comments about the cleanup,” says Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein. “There’s an obvious change in the DPW, and it’s obvious that our new director is taking the storm very seriously –  and very committed to cleaning our streets, doing what has to be done – as one would expect. Of course some issues have to be ironed out, but he’s extremely responsive,” Lichtenstein said.

The Committeeman also thanked the men and women operating the equipment.

The storm is expected to dwindle down at about 6PM tonight, but strong winds and frigid temperatures will linger.

Temperatures tonight will be around 8-13 degrees, with wind chill of -10 to -20 below zero.

Friday we can see wind gusts of 40-50 MPH, and temperatures in the mid to low teens – also with below zero wind chill factors.

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26 COMMENTS

  1. I have been in my house all day working. Pretty much every hour there have been a group of plows going up and down the blocks. The streets look great. It has been amazing to see such a major improvement from the previous storms. Thank you to all those involved in MLGA!

  2. Great job Patrick! Thanks for being so calm, responsive and attentive to the needs of the residents of this town during this monster storm which wasn’t even expected. Of course the biggest thank you is for the fact that the job is actually getting done in a timely manner, considering the snowfall amounts and duration of this storm.

  3. Now it’s time for the county to shape up! County line , central, new central , New Hampshire , hope chapel etc. looks like no one put a shovel to it even one time! Are you guy sleeping?

  4. Thank you so much for your tremendous effort! You guys were out there in treacherous conditions making the roads safe for all of us! We really appreciate it.

  5. can the scoop use their power to send some plows to hadassah lane. There hasnt been a single plow here yet. every time we called today they said someones right nearby and coming any minute.

  6. Pat Donnelly has done a terrific job throughout the year, whenever we leave a message for him concerning garbage pickup for a school, a home, or a shul he always comes through. Sometimes a day later but the job gets done.The entire community is thrilled with his performance . Keep up the good work!3

  7. Can Mr. Pat please give us some direction with the garbage pickup tomorrow many people had their cans out the whole day anticipating a pick up that for some odd reason didnt happen even though where I live its usually picked up at about 830 am….now our cans are stuck in 3 foot drifts and pretty far from the paved pavement what exactly is the plan?

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