Applebaum blames contractors for snow removal mess on Monkland

Danny Roseman, owner of the Ciel Bleu women's wear boutique and president of the local merchants association, said he was bombarded with phone calls and e-mails from desperate shop owners wondering when the streets of the Monkland Village would be cleared to allow parking.

In the days following this winter's first major snowstorm, Monkland last week resembled a war zone. There were snowbanks on each side congesting the flow of traffic and vehicles were parked in a haphazard fashion. There were also complaints that mountains of snow between the street and sidewalks were not cleared. "Not only is there insufficient parking in one of the main commercial districts of your borough to begin with, but the pedestrian traffic is now also impaired," Janice Melanson, owner of the Dix Mille Villages women's boutique, complained in an e-mail to Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum.

Five days after the storm, Susan Mott, an Old Orchard Avenue resident, also e-mailed Applebaum that the area was still a mess. "My tax dollars (too high for the lack of services we get) are to get the job done in MY AREA — Monkland Village — NDG," she said.

In an interview, Applebaum acknowledged the borough had a problem dealing with the snow. "They have reason be upset and I can assure you that we will take necessary action," he said, blaming contractors the borough hired. "Clearly I am not happy," he added. "I will be sitting down with my people from public works to see exactly what the problems were over the last couple of days and how we're going to make sure we're going to correct it for the next snowfall. It's not acceptable and I accept that."