By JOHN ANDERSON
With 12 to 18 inches of snow expected in the Southern Tier today, snowplow drivers from the village of Wellsville, the town and state were ready to go early.
At 4 a.m., three village plows started hitting the Wellsville streets and had them clear for residents to get out for work. There was no school on Monday with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday.
Village of Wellsville Heavy Motor Equipment Operator Austin Crawford drove the Wellsville Sun around during a live broadcast this morning.
No mailboxes, poles, signs or cars were hit during the filming and it was interesting to see how the drivers maneuver two blades at once down narrow roads. Some roads in the village the only way out it to back out, another difficult task for drivers.
Crawford is a Wellsville graduate and said he is glad there are jobs for young adults out of college who want to live and work in Allegany County.
“When I was in school, I knew that’s what I wanted to to. So I went to Alfred State for two years for Heavy Equipment Operation,” Crawford said. “I enjoy it this job and I like coming to work every day. “
The town and village crews work together to clear right up to the town-village lines. The drivers also spend extra time at the intersections, clearing corners and making sure there is extra salt down for vehicles trying to come to a stop.
This morning, exployees were at work at 3:45 a.m. and went over plans. They were out at 4 a.m. and took breaks every three hours until noon.
“They do an outstanding job. I don’t think most people understand what is involved in this,” said Village of Wellsville Public Works Director Dean Arnold. “It’s a lot of snow, they are out at 4 a.m. (former director) Bill Whitfield and Brad Mattison have a good system in place. Brad does a great job overseeing the DPW and the crew has it all down and understand his system.
“I’m glad we had the opportunity with the Wellsville Sun video to let the public see some of the behind-the-scenes work these crews do,” Arnold added.
On Monday, Bud Carlin and Kevin Murphy were in the other two large snowplow trucks as Steve Allen and Brian Brizzee were clearing sidewalks. Josh Brown was in the “v-plow” truck clearing village parking lots and the fire and police stations.
The Wellsville Sun went live for almost an hour with Crawford. Here is a link to the public video which you can watch if you have Facebook or not: https://fb.watch/aBogsu7CFM/
