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After several winters where snow seemed to fall everywhere but in New York City, we got socked by the Presidents' Day Blizzard of 2003. And the rest is now history. The storm, considered to be the fourth worst snowstorm in the City's history, dumped two feet of snow across the city, burying cars, lawn furniture and just about anything else in its path... except New York's City's 6,300 miles of roadways. We kept them open! And we gave every city street a pass of a plow in record time.
So well did we perform that Mayor Bloomberg repeatedly praised the Department's dedicated men and women for keeping the city open under some of the most challenging conditions. And Borough Presidents around the City also called to say "thanks for a fabulous job."
How did we do it? After a fairly busy winter, the Department knew to get its 350 salt spreaders onto the mains at the first sign of flurries. Collection trucks and other available equipment were dressed with plows and dispatched across the city to dig New Yorkers out of the mountains of accumulating snow.
I was with Mayor Bloomberg at the Gansevoort Street Salt Facility and garage. He was extremely impressed by the precision with which our front-end loaders filled up the huge salt spreading and smaller haulster vehicles while a battery of television cameras filmed the grueling work. He later marveled at the huge snow melters we used to recycle snow into water by draining it down the sewer system.
I took numerous drives around the city during the week to watch the work of our crews and at every stop along the way I was impressed with this Department's dedication to duty. We even allowed a few reporters to ride along with some spreader operators and the sometimes-cynical writers came away equally impressed.
Perhaps it's all about dedication to the job. I think it is! This Department always rises to the occasion. The plow drivers, mechanics, snow clerks, supervisors... everyone. It's what makes us special. It's why New Yorkers depend upon us. It's tradition. And I thank you for your efforts.
Now, let's bring on the warmer weather.
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