June 1, 2015
BATH, NY – For several years, Steuben County’s Highway Department has been helping snow plow some state roads, and in turn, some local town highway departments have been helping plow some of the county roads.
However, Steuben County Deputy Manager Jack Wheeler says that the state is cutting back on reimbursements for county highway departments. According to Wheeler, because of that, starting in the winter of 2016-17, the Steuben County Highway Department won’t be snow plowing state roads.
County DPW Chief Vince Spagnoletti says that for the first time, the county lost money, plowing roads for the state, in the 2014-15 winter. Spagnoletti says the snow plowing will go on for one more winter, but that will be the last winter for the county snow plowing state roads.
The county dpw chief also noted that because the county is no longer going to be doing state roads in the future, the county dpw trucks will be able to handle snow plowing the county roads, and the town highway departments will no longer have to help with the county roads.
Spagnoletti also added that while Steuben County has had very good relationship with the Hornell Department of Transportation and he has high words of praise for the Hornell DOT, he says that the DOT in Albany has not been paying enough to cover the costs.
