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Egg Harbor Township thanks crews after icy storm; public works details staffing, salt limits and repair plans
Summary
Public Works told the Township Committee crews worked around the clock after an unusual ice-and-snow event, deployed 53 employees, used 300–400 tons of salt and received an extra 200-ton shipment mid-storm; officials urged residents to file formal reports for potholes and driveway issues.
Egg Harbor Township officials on Feb. 4 thanked public works, volunteer fire companies and neighbors after an unusually heavy winter storm that left roads iced over and required extended, around-the-clock work by township crews.
Public Works briefed the committee on operational details, saying crews began operations at about 4:00 a.m. Sunday and that "we had 53 employees that worked around the clock" through Tuesday. The speaker described the storm as shifting from loose snow to heavy, wet snow that "turned to rain" and then quickly refroze, producing large clumps of packed snow that created driveway blockages and led to hundreds of resident complaints.
"We put down between 3 and 400 tons of salt in the middle of a salt shortage," a Public Works official said, and the township received a shipment of roughly "200 additional tons of salt" during the event. Officials said the next regular shipment will not arrive until February (shipment date not specified in the meeting) and that the department had to ration material to keep primary roads and intersections passable.
Township staff described a prioritization system: primary roadways that intersect with county or state roads are cleared first and may be plowed multiple times before crews move into secondary roads and developments. The township is divided into six plowing zones, staff said, and essential-worker requests (doctors, nurses, police) can be flagged for expedited attention.
Residents raised concerns during public comment about some neighborhoods feeling they were last to be served. Shanice Callahan, introduced at the meeting and identified as a local board president, told the committee her subdivision of about 81 homes "felt every year ... last to come through that block" and asked for better responsiveness. Public Works responded that mapping and operational constraints, combined with limited salt and equipment, guided priorities and that individual complaints should be filed through official channels so they can be routed to crews.
Officials urged residents to report potholes and other problems through the township website or by phone rather than relying on neighborhood social pages. "If you have something you need done, call somebody," an official said, adding that social media posts are not the best mechanism for getting work scheduled.
Public Works also highlighted new capabilities for street repairs: the township now recycles its own asphalt and can patch potholes daily rather than waiting for external plants to be open, a practice officials said will save money and speed repairs.
Committee members and staff closed the discussion by thanking crews and volunteer fire companies for assisting EMS and residents during the event and asking staff to continue community outreach about how and when to report street and safety issues.
The committee moved next into the evening's ordinance business; public works staff left having provided the department's operational report.
