City snow plan proposals include new plows, trucks, vehicle lift units

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The new City of Buffalo snow plan proposal includes new snowplows, 10 new pickup trucks, vehicle life units, among other new additions, according to documents provided to WIVB News 4 on Thursday.

Emergency response and snowplow additions are both part of the plan.

The city has added seven new snowplows and eight front loaders, with an additional seven plows expected to arrive later in the season. Six new light- and medium-duty pickup trucks with plows for off-road operations, along with four more for parking lots and other similar spaces. Some of the new plows will replace old plows, while some others will be additions to the fleet.

Emergency operations are also set for a boost. The Buffalo Fire Department would be given a new mini-ambulance that would be able to navigate narrow roads and other areas that are difficult to access during storms.

The city had been under fire in recent years, especially following the December 2022 blizzard, for not being able to get to residents in need of medical attention in their homes. During the blizzard, 47 people died, 46 of them in Erie County. The majority of those 46 came in Buffalo.

A June 2023 report from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service attributed seven of the deaths in Erie County to emergency calls that went unanswered due to backlog as well as unplowed streets blocked by stranded drivers.

Report: Buffalo’s snow-removal equipment, communications fell short during deadly blizzard

“We did a full overhaul leading into the last winter season,” Department of Public Works Commissioner Nate Marton said. “The plan worked well, I’m not going to say greatest, that’s not my job, but I think the foundational levels of how we responded to the different levels is a good response plan.”

Last year’s plan included a new tiered system for storm classification, separating major storms from typical snowfall.

The city is also planning to add a pair of vehicle lift units, designed to relocate cars parked on streets that obstruct snowplows.

The Buffalo Police Department will be given a new command vehicle, which the plans says will “enhance BPD’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively in dynamic situations” and will give “increased flexibility for emergency operations.”

The city has also budgeted $500,000 for private contractors in snow removal. Last year, the city spent $5 million for private contractors. Marton said that the budgeting is so they can have at least some money budgeted, and is willing to take more funds depending on what is needed.

“To put a budget line in that could be held and maybe not even spent is a difficult thing for a city from our financial standpoint,” Marton said. “We’ve had those conversations about what we need to spend to clear the streets for our residents, for the safety of our community. We will do that, certainly, but knowing there’s a placeholder in there we can grab money to begin with.”

Finally, the city is moving its warming center in the North District to the Northwest Buffalo Community Center on Lawn Avenue. Previously, it had been the former Asarese-Matters Community Center on Rees Street.

The new plan is expected to be discussed at the Buffalo Common Council meeting on Tuesday next week.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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