6 TIMES • JANUARY 28, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@ridgewoodtimes.com @AngelaMatua The second-largest snowstorm in the city’s history dumped the most snow on Queens than on any other borough, but the “World’s Borough” seems to have received the least attention from the Department of Sanitation. Elected offi cials across the borough have been fl ooded by calls and social media posts from constituents complaining about unplowed streets and dangerous conditions. In a press conference on the morning of Jan. 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted that he was not happy with the snow removal response in Queens, especially western Queens neighborhoods such as Ridgewood, East Elmhurst, Sunnyside, Woodside and Jackson Heights. State Senator Joseph Addabbo said he felt “extremely frustrated with the lack of a quick and appropriate storm response seen in Queens,” especially in neighborhoods such as Woodhaven and Ozone Park. “Everyday activities remain at a standstill while communities wait to be unburied from more than two feet of snow, yet Mayor de Blasio failed to see how dangerous it is to have our children attend school on Monday, Jan. 25,” Addabbo said in a statement. De Blasio announced on Jan. 24 that schools would open the next day, which left many politicians angered. “NYC Schools in Queens should be closed on Jan. 25,” Councilman Eric Ulrich, who represents Woodhaven, Ozone Park and Howard Beach, wrote on Twitter. “People’s cars are still buried in snow & the streets are still a mess!” Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, who represents six neighborhoods including Ridgewood and Woodhaven, said the lack of snow removal is “an issue of public safety.” “Winter Storm Jonas left signifi - cant and historic snowfall that the administration was not prepared for,” Crowley said. “Much of my district is comprised one- to two-family homes and rely on our city to heed its responsibilities and clear the roads of any snow fall, yet days after the storm I continue to hear of homebound residents stuck behind two feet of snow.” In a Jan. 25 press conference, de Blasio again referenced several Queens neighborhoods that he thought needed more work, especially along tertiary roads. “I didn’t see the kind of results I wanted in Sunnyside, Woodside, Elmhurst, Corona,” he said. Sanitation Department Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said the borough is “our fi rst priority today.” De Blasio said the plows would pay visits to these neighborhoods on Jan. 25 and that alternate side parking will be suspended until Jan. 30. Local pols fume over city’s response to blizzard MIDDLE VILLAGE SNOW DIARY Residents dig out where plows have ‘forgotten’ BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@ridgewood times.com @robbpoz Traffi c moved briskly the day after the Blizzard of 2016 on Metropolitan Avenue and 80th Street — two of the main roadways through Middle Village. But one only had to turn a few blocks down to fi nd residential side streets that were, as of 4 p.m. on Jan. 24, completely impassible — and seemingly untouched by a plow or salt spreader. Walking down 79th Place by Juniper Valley Road, adjacent to St. Margaret Church, parked cars were encased in mountains of snow. The drivers that had to dig them out, however, weren’t able to get far — as the street itself had about a foot of snow covering the pavement. Neighbors young and old labored to at least dig their vehicles out. One resident told this paper they had not seen a snow plow on that block since 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 23. PlowNYC, the city’s offi cial map tracking the movement of Sanitation Department plows and salt-spreaders, indicated the street was last plowed at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 24. Two blocks to the west, on 78th Street between Juniper Valley and 66th Roads, a group of people worked to free a yellow cab that became stuck in the snow-covered street at about 3 p.m. Two vehicles were behind the stuck taxi, and their occupants got out to assist neighbors in shoveling the snow away and eventually pushing the taxi forward. According to PlowNYC, a plow visited the block a halfhour later. But just around the corner, 66th Road between 77th and 78th Streets was a winter wonderland. The street looked almost untouched since Jan. 22, covered in lumpy, footstepladen snow perhaps a foot high. Without a car or a snow plow in sight, some youngsters took advantage of the soft, snowy street by playing a game of touch football. Nearby, a woman labored, shovel in hand, to clear snow off of and away from her car. “This is the forgotten street,” she said, noting that a Sanitation truck attempted to come down the block from 79th Street earlier that morning but didn’t go any further than half the block. PlowNYC indicated 66th Road was last visited by a plow at 7:32 a.m. on Jan. 24. Just to the south of Metropolitan Avenue, the block of 67th Road between 78th and 79th streets — where FDNY Engine Company 319 is located — was relatively clear of snow. Around the corner on 78th Street, however, vehicles spun their wheels heading down the snowy roadway and neighbors dug deep to free their cars. Across the neighborhood, some residents that we spoke with were hesitant to cast blame for the situation. But everyone had a wish: that the plows would come to quickly clear the streets and bring things back to normal. RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photos by Robert Pozarycki Many inches of snow still covered 66th Road off 78th Street in Middle Village on Jan. 24.
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