CapitalNews9.com

Saturday, November 21, 2009   47º F

Updated 12/17/2008 06:12 AM

Crews cleaning up debris before more snow falls

By: Ryan Peterson

HALFMOON -- Town of Halfmoon Highway Superintendent John Pingelski said, "We've been out for two days now chipping brush. We're trying to clean up the town as quick as we can."

Quick being the operative word there. With help from five neighboring towns, Halfmoon officials are trying to stay ahead of the next round of winter weather.

"The Town of Milton, the Town of Wilton, the Town of Galway, the Town of Greenfield and the Town of Moreau have sent down crews, chipper trucks and saws. Their men have been excellent. We worked until dark last night and we're expecting to work until dark tonight," Pingelski said.

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And with a significant snowfall forecast for Wednesday, Halfmoon Town Supervisor Mindy Wormuth says she couldn't be happier with the municipal aid.

She said, "I can't say enough to thank the town supervisors for giving up their manpower, their crews, their equipment, coming down and supporting us as we move through the clean-up phase of this emergency. It's really nice to see."

Not only will the expectant snow affect clean-up efforts, but there are still people without power. National Grid crews have been working nonstop over past three to four days and had hoped to have everyone's power restored by late Wednesday night.

National Grid Spokesman Patrick Stella said, "We're still aiming to get the majority of our customers back online by tomorrow night. But we certainly know that the weather could be a player in prolonging that a little bit. We hope it doesn't. We can't control the weather. It's just something we have to work with."

Pingelski said he expects his men will be out clearing streets and chipping brush at least for the next few weeks if not months before everything is taken care of.

The forecast for the Capital Region calls for 2-4 inches of snow before changing to sleet and possibly rain later. Some areas could see more snow, though.