W. Glenn Steckman III, managing director, said the city has marshalled its Public Works Department in preparation for what promises to be the worst snowstorm of the season.
"We will have 24 trucks on the street for 24 hours," Steckman told Reading City Council on Monday night. "Hopefully, we will be able to handle the snow."
City Council endorsed a Local Disaster Declaration, proposed by Mayor Wally Scott, in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency policies.
The declaration clears the way for the city to recoup the expense of dealing with the storm from FEMA.
Scott convened two emergency meetings Monday to organize the city's response to the storm.
Along with city police and firefighters, the Scott administration met with representatives of the Downtown Improvement District, the Reading School District and the Reading Parking Authority and Reading Area Water Authority.
Steckman announced that all parking authority garages will be open to city residents from 9 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. School district parking lots will be open to residents once they are plowed, he said.
"We encourage residents to use the parking garages to make plowing our streets easier," Steckman said.
Council approved a resolution that allows RAWA workers to volunteer to drive city snowplows. With RAWA volunteers, Steckman said, the city will be able to put four to six additional plows on the street.
Public Works Department crews have been placed on 12-hour shifts for the duration of the storm.
Steckman anticipated the bulk of the snow will fall between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday, but expects travel in the city to be hazardous, possibly into Wednesday morning. Many center city businesses, he suggested, would be closed Tuesday. BARTA has suspended bus service Tuesday.
City Hall will remain open, Scott said, but with a reduced staff.
"We have plenty of salt, our mechanics are on call and we're about as geared up as we can be," Steckman said. "We've planned for the worst and we're hoping for the best."
Council President Jeffrey S. Waltman Sr. urged city residents to look out for one another during the storm.
"Check on the elderly and disabled," he urged. "Lend a hand to people who cannot shovel their sidewalks."
Councilwoman Donna Reed, too, urged neighbors to join together in the face of the storm.
"Natural disasters," Reed said, "have a way of bringing out the best in people."
Ron Devlin | Reporter/columnist
Ron Devlin covers Kutztown and Brandywine Heights School Districts for the Reading Eagle.
Phone: 610-371-5030
Email: rdevlin@readingeagle.com
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