Public works director defends snow response as union and residents demand changes; council explores reviving volunteer 'Snow Angels' program

The Public Works Committee spent the latter portion of its meeting examining the city's snow-response procedures after a January storm and heard pointed public criticism from union and neighborhood leaders.

Shara, who presented the department's snow-emergency procedures, said the city mobilizes pre-storm, runs roughly 50 trucks per 12-hour shift during major events, and prioritizes 30 downtown snow-emergency routes (about 54 miles) so emergency vehicles can travel. He listed preparation steps—equipment checks, salt inventories, staff scheduling and stakeholder coordination with the Allentown Parking Authority and the Allentown School District—and said the Jan. 25 event totaled 11.88 inches plus two inches of icing. "We fell in the category 3 there, class snow event," Shara said, and added that extended sub-freezing temperatures after…