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DPW outlines Newark snow plan, lists equipment and salt inventories and driver training
Summary
The interim director of DPW presented Newark's snow plan, listing vehicle and vendor equipment counts, salt and brine inventories, and driver-training numbers; council members asked about state road coordination and ownership of equipment counts.
Tyrique Rolland, interim director of the Department of Public Works, briefed the council on Newark’s winter snow plan during the Dec. 10 special conference session, outlining equipment inventories, salt and brine reserves, plow priorities and training for operators.
Rolland said the city’s combined equipment inventory between DPW and the water and sewer divisions totals 51 pieces of equipment. He said seven contracted vendors provide an additional 82 pieces of snow equipment, for a combined total of 133 pieces of snow‑response equipment available. Salt inventory figures presented on the record were: 200 tons at Twelfth Street, 2,500 tons at Earl Street and 800 tons at Verona, totaling 3,500 tons on hand, with an additional 5,000 tons on standby. Rolland said brine inventory across sites totals 9,000 gallons (3,000 gallons at Earl Street, 2,000 at Twelfth Street and 4,000 at Verona).
Rolland said the office recently trained 26 new drivers who had been hired to focus on snow operations and that about 45–50 experienced drivers are available. He said the city plans to train another 11 new night‑crew drivers and will conduct a mock run with DPW and water/sewer staff to prepare for a one‑foot snowfall. The department also plans coordinated meetings with OEM, public safety, Rutgers, and other institutional partners.
Council members thanked Rolland and asked for clearer coordination with state agencies and for explicit identification of state road responsibilities (Councilmember request noted that state routes such as Route 27 require coordination). A council member confirmed the combined equipment total (51 pieces city‑owned plus 82 vendor pieces) and asked staff to provide detailed vendor-by-vendor equipment counts, which Rolland offered to supply.
Ending: Rolland said the plan aims to prioritize hills, bridges, emergency routes and major arteries, followed by neighborhood streets and county roads via partnership; he said alternate parking options would coordinate with Newark Public Schools, participating churches and businesses.
