Message From Mayor Josh Losardo | January 30, 2026
Last Sunday’s storm brought nearly 16 inches of snow, sleet, and hail to Scotch Plains, with several additional inches falling in the Watchung Mountain area.
In advance of the storm, our Department of Public Works (DPW) spent last week preparing by fully fueling trucks, affixing plows to the Township’s fleet, and loading liquid calcium chloride to facilitate salting operations.
On Sunday morning, the DPW team assembled at 4 a.m. and began pre-treating our streets before spending most of the day plowing. As conditions worsened, the work became increasingly difficult.
At times, the challenges were small but constant, such as stopping to knock ice off frozen windshield wipers so drivers could see safely. Other issues were more serious: one salting truck’s chain mechanism broke, several plows stopped responding, and nearly every truck was running low on fuel as drivers completed their first pass through their assigned zones.
The Township’s 10 snow zones, which typically take about four hours to complete, took upwards of eight hours for a full pass because of increasingly heavy snow, sleet, and hail throughout the day. Unlike years past, contractors did not volunteer to assist with plowing, and the full burden fell on the 18 men who comprise our DPW. We anticipate that more than 1,000 man-hours were required to fully complete the cleanup from this storm.
Clearing a single driveway is no easy task but clearing every street in town is far more demanding.
While the DPW team understands the responsibility of their job, they nonetheless deserve our sincere thanks and appreciation. These men left their own homes and personal responsibilities so they could work around the clock to keep our streets as safe as possible.
As we enter the upcoming budget season, I intend to work with my colleagues to better support our DPW and, in turn, continue improving the quality of life in Scotch Plains. Our community needs additional permanent personnel and equipment to address the increasingly frequent and demanding storms we face, as well as the fall pick-up of leaves.
These improvements cannot happen all at once. Hiring personnel is costly, and our municipal tax dollars, approximately 16% of overall property taxes, are appropriately directed primarily toward police and emergency services to keep Scotch Plains safe. However, I would like to see DPW grow gradually over the next decade so the department is better equipped to meet the evolving needs of our town.
For now, though, I want to thank our DPW team. Thank you for doing everything you could to clean up our streets after this storm. Your professionalism, perseverance, and commitment, often under difficult and exhausting conditions, do not go unnoticed.
The safety and mobility of our community depend on your work, and Scotch Plains is better because of the dedication you show every day. We wish the DPW well, as we continue to move through a cold and challenging winter.
And, in closing, and a bit unrelated, may I remind you all that on Friday, Feb. 20 – just three weeks from today – the Yankees take on the Orioles in spring training. The first glorious pitch is 1:05 p.m.
Yes, spring is just around the corner!