SCHUYLKILL HAVEN – Plowing and piling up the snow. In Schuylkill Haven, crews have been working since the early morning, trying to keep up with Mother Nature’s latest storm.
"We got called out about 3:30 this morning, heavy, steady snow all day. Been hectic," said street foreman Brian Murray.
Many travelers slipped and slided during the morning commute. This crash caused a tie-up along Route 61 near Pottsville.
"It was coming down pretty good earlier, but now it seems to be letting up so they`ll catch up," said Rick Montag of Schuylkill Haven.
This winter alone, Schuylkill Haven Borough Manager says they’ve spent between $30,000 and $50,000 on salt and set aside that same amount for overtime hours. Workers made sure their 27 miles of road here in Schuylkill County are kept clear and safe.
"We overcompensate to make sure that we have enough and that it`s stockpiled so we don`t run into an emergency if there`s a shortage, which is common when there`s bad winters," said Schuylkill Haven Borough Manager Scott Graver.
But crews here in Schuylkill Haven say it`s still tough to keep up with all of this white stuff on the road, they say this is the 16th time this winter, they`ve had to plow.
Last year crews went out 16 times through the entire winter, but borough leaders say they’re still confident these storms won’t crunch their budget.
"We`re not in a position where it`s tight, we expect the unexpected,” said Grave.s
With school closed here in Schuylkill Haven, third grader Sean Coyle decided help dig out too.
"It`s pretty tough, there`s a lot of snow here, there`s like three or four inches," said Sean Coyle.
The borough says they rotate through a 15-man crew, trying to keep workers rested, although this latest snow still has left plow drivers with a heavy load to lift.
"We`ll be here well after the snow stops to make sure everything is pushed back for the next storm, get the roads clear, get them salted, and get ready for the next one,” said Murray.