Mayor, Council Warn of Post-storm Safety and Parking Issues
- Mario Marroquin
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
Crews are working around the clock to clear streets, while officials warn of the next projected weekend storm.
While public-works crews continue to clean up local streets, the impact of the massive weekend snowstorm dominated the discussion at Tuesday’s Dover Town Council meeting.
Mayor James P. Dodd and members of the town council discussed the aftermath of the worst storms in five years, including the challenges of cleaning streets and enforcing the town’s snow ordinance.
Mayor Dodd emphasized that the primary concern is the ability of emergency services to reach residents. He noted that more than a foot of snow clogs the town’s narrow residential streets, preventing fire trucks and ambulances from navigating certain neighborhoods.
“We put out a reverse 9-1-1 [call] on Saturday, informing the public that they can use their front lawns to park if they had to,” Mayor Dodd said. “They could use Municipal Lot B if they needed an alternate location to park their vehicles.”
“We’re predicted now with another nor’easter coming in this weekend. Preliminary totals are 12 to 15 inches. If that happens, that’s going to cripple this town in certain areas, so we have to be proactive about it.”
Mayor Dodd said the town’s Department of Public Works is working at night to clean up the town’s business district and added that the town hired a private contractor to remove snow from intersections.
Council Member Sandra Wittner added that, as of Tuesday night, James and Baker streets in the First Ward were among the streets still dangerous for residents to use due to the accumulation of snow and ice over parked cars, which has prevented the DPW from having enough access to clean the streets.
Although the town tried to inform residents about the enforcement of the snow ordinance through social media, Wittner suggested that residents should get a more direct heads-up—like a hand-delivered notice in the mail—to remind them of the local law.
A Passaic Street resident, who was the only resident to comment during the meeting, echoed Dodd and Wittner’s frustration about the enforcement of the town’s snow ordinance. Although residents living off Blackwell Street were allowed to park their vehicles on their front lawns during the snowstorm, the resident said the ordinance merely pushed people to park off Blackwell Street and in residential streets, blocking the DPW from cleaning the streets. The municipal parking lot on Crescent Field, meanwhile, stayed empty for the duration of the storm, he said.
In other news, council members approved Ordinance 01-2026, which will allow the town’s parking authority to purchase plate readers without burdening the police department, Dodd said.
WEATHER UPDATE: Check out the news from The Weather Channel about the potential for the next powerful storm that could hit the northeast.
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