By ANDY GARDNER

Massena and Ogdensburg department of public works chiefs say they are ready for the incoming winter and snow that could start before long.

“Oh yeah, we’re ready. I have a great DPW supervisor and great staff. They’ve done all the prep … we’re ready to go as soon as Mother Nature starts dishing it out,” Ogdensburg Department of Public Works Director Scott Thornhill said.

“We’re prepared for just about anything in this department … we want to make sure this community is up and running and its safe to travel,” Massena Department of Public Works Superintendent Hassan Fayad said.

Both say they plan on using more than 1,000 tons of sand and salt on the roads they’re responsible for maintaining.

As far as advance preparation goes, Thornhill said he is sitting on 1,500 tons of a sand-salt mixture and 200 to 300 tons of pure salt.

“Normally we put up about 3,000 cubic yards of sand … and we typically allocate about 1,000 to 1,200 tons of salt every year,” Fayad said.

Between the Massena and Ogdensburg departments, that equates to more than 5,000,000 pounds of sand and salt.

Fayad and Thornhill agreed that it’s too early to tell how much effort will be needed to keep the roads clean until the snow melts.

“It’s looking like right now that it could be not as cold as last winter. Snow is always something that’s difficult to predict, based on where the jet stream is and the wind coming over the lake,” Thornhill said. “Our biggest concern is nor’easters.”

“It’s all speculative. There’s different formats out there, things you can look at, but I’m not sure how much credibility you can allocate to that,” Fayad said.

He hopes the area isn’t hit with an early bout of extreme cold before an insulating blanket of snow falls.

“That cold penetrated the ground and drove that frost down seven feet,” Fayad said of last year’s early winter.

The temperatures caused water mains to break throughout town, putting extra strain on his department.

In Massena, crews will have to clear about 50 miles of road. That is broken down among nine routes, which will be staffed around the clock.

“We have coverage 24 hours a day,” Fayad said.

Thornhill said his crews will take care of 45 miles.

They both said the relatively mild weather so far has given them a chance to tie up loose ends from the summer and fall.

“It has helped us out so that we can take care of our streets, we’re still out patching and pouring concrete,” Fayad said.

“As long as the weather stays, we’ll continue trimming trees and taking down the stumps, take a really good look at all our mechanic needs … do a really thorough maintenance on them,” Thornhill said.

Fayad said he wants people to be respectful of plow drivers and give them a chance to do their jobs.

“When we’re out there plowing, respect the road and respect our drivers. A lot of time, drivers are putting in long hours … I hope the community have respect for these guys and make room for them,” he said. “Respect the road and the department that’s out there and we will open these roads up as soon as we can.”