No Snow Opens Up Highway Department Pocketbook and Personnel

Though it's not saying much compared to , the is in better shape this year as an unseasonably warm winter has meant less snow - actually, no snow - meaning less snow plow costs for the town.

According to NWS data, recording a satellite station in Islip, the average temperature in the area eclipsed 40 degrees in December 2011, nearly five degrees higher than the monthly average. This month so far, an average of 35 degrees is 4.6 degrees above the norm. No snow has accumulated in Riverhead.

The result - coupled with a decrease in average precipitation - has been no overtime costs incurred to the town, so far. Last year's $102,000 was slightly over the $100,000 budgeted.

And each day Highway Department workers aren't behind a snow plow, that opens them up to work on other things around town.

"A lot of the trucks need maintenance - paint, rust," said Gio Woodson, the town's highway department superintendent. "And a lot of the town's sumps haven't been cleaned in 20 years. The county is letting us use a couple of their pump trucks for a day, so once we get a clean, dry day - maybe next week - we'll start to get to those."

Last year, as the town had to hire a few subcontractors to help - in addition to increased salt and sand orders - the town found itself paying out its highest total in contractual expenses for snow since 2005, when it paid out nearly $250,000. Last year, though the $195,000 was a recent high, Woodson said his salt silo remains half full for use this year. In addition, (in addition to two plows), which will require less use of salt and sand on the roads.

Should any major storms hold off, and the 2012 snow budget comes in under projections, Woodson said his department's biggest need would be some new equipment.

"The used stuff keeps breaking down," he said. "A new sweeper or a payloader would be nice ... It wouldn't bother me if we didn't get any snow this year."

Unfortunately for Woodson that may not be the case. The National Weather Service is forecasting a 50 percent chance of a half-inch of snow accumulation in Riverhead on Thursday night, though it shouldn't be enough to break into the overtime budget.