By Senator Fred Akshar

Our community is accustomed to overcoming the many geographic and climatic challenges that come with living in this beautiful river valley, but Winter Storm Gail came with little warning and awful timing.

Just over two weeks ago, the Southern Tier was the epicenter of an enormous snowfall, experiencing over forty inches in less than 48 hours. It buried our cars, kept us indoors and seemed to be the final excruciating hardship in an already unfathomable year.

However, as so many people have done throughout the unique challenges of this past year, a group of public servants sprung into action to ensure that life could go on safely even under such extreme circumstances.

Our local Department of Public Works, Highway Superintendents, the NYS Department of Transportation and other local & county agencies stepped up to the plate and provided relief to every Southern Tier resident. Late into the evenings and often into the early mornings, they worked around the clock to make sure emergency services were still operational, vulnerable populations could be cared for and essential travel could be done safely.

We saw them plowing and salting our roads, hauling countless tons of snow offsite, directing traffic and most importantly, giving neighbors a helping hand while sacrificing time with their families during the holiday season. Several local companies joined the effort to create an effective public-private partnership to speed up the snow removal.

Sadly, we know from experience that there’s an inherent risk in this line of work. Fifty years ago, a Binghamton parks department employee passed away while clearing snow near the Exchange Street bridge. It was a tragedy that still reminds us of the difficult work that these men and women do.

As we continue through these winter months, remember that a simple wave and thank you goes a long way when recognizing the good work of these public servants. When we face adversity, our best citizens shine and from my perspective these workers were at their very best. We owe them our deep appreciation for a job well done and so on behalf of the more than 315,000 people that I so proudly represent, I say thank you.