The winter storm that hammered the City of Peekskill this past weekend may be over, but work to clear roads of snow and ice is not done.

The National Weather Service reported the “blockbuster storm” left 13 inches of snow in Peekskill, while the weather app Precip claimed there was a total of 19.4 inches dumped on the city.

Newly appointed superintendent of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Cornell Hammonds told the Peekskill Herald his employees worked around the clock to plow and salt roads and parks on Sunday, Jan. 25, during the peak of the storm.

“The guys did a great job,” Hammonds said over the phone on Monday. “Of course, I was out with them all night. Right now, we’re going to continue the efforts of trying to keep the roads open.”

DPW crews worked throughout Monday, with some working overnight to continue to clear the roads. Several residents expressed thanks to the DPW but also frustration over a need for further cleanup of icy streets.

“The streets are pretty bad. They’re a mess,” said resident Jen Zawacki at the Monday night (Jan. 26) virtual council meeting. She added that the Peekskill City School District, unlike nearby school districts, announced it was closing all its schools on Tuesday, Jan. 27, citing the need for additional snow removal on streets and sidewalks.

City Manager Matthew Alexander agreed at the meeting that the roads were not good, saying he saw “disarray and snow in the streets,” but adding the salt was not helping with melting ice on roads due to the colder temperatures. He said that the city will spend the rest of the week working on getting the roads back to normal.

“I know this isn’t as quick as you would like, but this is an exceptional amount that is historic in a lot of areas,” Alexander said. “There hasn’t been snow like this in decades.”

During the meeting, Councilman Brian Fassett said the city received a lot of complaints from residents who had cleaned their sidewalks, only for plows to deposit additional snow into the area, as happened to his office building on Main Street.

City of Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie said the opposite was also true, with residents putting snow back into the road. She said it was important for residents to ensure their sidewalks were cleaned in front of their homes and businesses so kids don’t have to climb over mountains of snow.

“It’s really important we all do our part,” McKenzie said. “I’m also going to ask that as you’re cleaning your driveways and cleaning your sidewalk, please do not throw the snow back into the road. It makes it very treacherous, especially when DPW has already gone through and cleaned the street and salted it.”

Hammonds told the Herald that preparation for the big storm was primarily identical to other snowstorms. He noted that the department has to focus on hills and spread salt in moderation.

“One of the problems you have now is that it’s so much snow,” Hammonds said. “It becomes a point where people don’t know where to put it. So what they do is they put it back in the road, [making] it look like the road wasn’t even touched.”

Chief of Police Adam Renwick told the Herald in an email that during the storm emergency, staffing at the police department was increased by two officers to help ensure that police services were sufficient. 

This past weekend, 272 parking summons were issued to help keep the streets clear for snow removal. Officers also orchestrated the towing of several vehicles that were impeding snow removal, Renwick said.

“Those efforts continue in the aftermath of the storm as DPW continues to work hard removing the snow,” Renwick said. “There were no critical incidents that occurred as a result of the storm. Officers responded to a variety of calls for service, ranging from motor vehicle accidents, welfare checks, disputes, etc.”

Fire Chief James Seymour IV highlighted his department’s efforts in an email to the Herald, saying, “We responded to 10 incidents for the 24-hour period on Sunday.”

The Water Department is currently responding to a large water main break on a 16-inch main on Main Street, which started up late Monday night. The city stated that over the past few years, water pressure has been maintained because of the valves. However, with a water main this large, water pressure will be affected until the situation is fixed, the department said. More information will be shared when its assessment is complete.

Residents line up for groceries and books ahead of snowstorm

Ahead of the snowstorm, residents preparing to hunker down at home stocked up with necessities from stores like Stop & Shop at Beach Shopping Center and Save A Lot on N. Division St.

Karla Lindao, a manager at the Peekskill Save A Lot, told the Herald lots of customers came to the store in preparation for the storm. She said on Tuesday the store opened an hour early because people were waiting outside. Residents came for rice, canned beans, pork, chicken, milk, eggs, and several other items.

“We changed our hours of operation,” Lindao said over the phone. “We worked more than 12 hours. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, [and] Saturday [were] the big days.”

While a store manager at the Beach Shopping Center’s Stop & Shop was not authorized to talk to the press, Daniel Wolk, an external communications manager for Stop & Shop stores in New York, explained the steps the franchise takes to prepare stores, including in Peekskill, and ensure the safety of associates and customers.

“We ensure our stores are well stocked with a wide assortment of perishable and nonperishable items and are ready to help customers find what they need,” Wolk said. “To support increased demand, we increase inventory of essential grocery items, such as milk, eggs, and bread, as well as storm-related products, including shovels, ice scrapers, batteries, and firewood. Our teams work hard to keep our stores stocked and to maintain a safe and comfortable shopping experience.”

It wasn’t just groceries residents sought ahead of the snowstorm. Dana Hysell, the director of The Field Library, told the Herald there was an uptick of people coming in for books on both Friday and Saturday. Friday saw heavier traffic on the adult side of the library, while Saturday had steady visitors in the children’s room.

“We actually were quite busy,” Hysell said. “On Friday, it was like an endless stream, so I believe we saw an increase in people coming in. For Saturday, but it’s my understanding it was a steady stream of people. It was like grocery stores. Everyone went to grab their books and then get their bread and milk and eggs.”

The library, like many other businesses, shut down on Monday. That evening, it announced it would open at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27. 

City criticized for use of AI on social media posts of snow cleanup

The City of Peekskill’s use of AI-generated images to illustrate the snow storm cleanup left a bad taste for several residents online and at Monday’s council meeting.

One image posted to social media, without adisclaimer that it was generated by AI, depicted five workers in yellow vests purportedly cleaning a Peekskill street, while another AI image depicted a truck plowing snow with  “City O Perbball” displayed on the driver’s side door.

One resident, Gianni Ingenio, commented he believed AI imagery being used by any government agencies set a “dangerous precedent,” while another citizen, Evan Rosen, described its use as “mortifying.”

“I just think that it does not send the right message,” Jen Zawacki said. “It does not appropriately convey what’s actually happening in the city. You could take real pictures of real people doing work, and I think that we would all appreciate seeing that.”

City Manager Alexander acknowledged that he generated the images after looking for photos to post. He apologized and said he would not do it again, to which several thanked him for taking responsibility.