Now that winter has finally arrived, the inevitable white stuff can't be far behind. While we have seemed to dodge the winter bullet up until now, we can probably expect some snow soon. Our DPW team is ready for whatever Old Man winter has in store for us. Their equipment has been tuned, the sand and salt purchased and snow emergency plans drawn. There are over 18 miles of roads in the Incorporated Village of Farmingdale. The responsibility for plowing and maintaining these roads lie within different jurisdictions (Nassau County, New York State and the Village). While the majority is the responsibility of the Village Department of Public Works (DPW), there are some major thoroughfares that are maintained by other agencies. Main Street, Melville Road and Merritts Road are maintained by Nassau County while Fulton Street (Route 109) and Hempstead Turnpike/Conklin Street (Route 24) are maintained by New York State. All designated snow emergency routes are sanded, salted and plowed first. Next are feeder streets to allow access to main roads followed by dead end streets and cul-de-sacs. Any cars parked on a snow emergency route (designated with red street signs) must be moved off the street when the snow begins to fall. It is imperative that every effort is made to remove cars from the streets. This will help get your road plowed more quickly and efficiently. Please remember that village law requires that residents must remove parked cars from the street for a minimum of 18 hours after a snowfall of 2 or more inches. If your household does not have adequate off street parking, make arrangements with a neighbor who does, to park in their driveways. This will enable the DPW personnel to clear our roadways and facilitate safe traveling throughout the village. Residents are also responsible for keeping their sidewalks free of ice and snow. Please do not blow or shovel snow from driveways or sidewalks into the street. It is a hazard to all vehicles. If you have a fire hydrant in front of your home make sure it remains visible and free of snow. If you have elderly or special-needs neighbors, please check on them to see if they require any assistance. Please take extra care when driving in bad weather. If we all follow the rules we can get through whatever Mother Nature brings us this winter.