Snow Forces Schools, Library to Close; Town Hall, DMV and Post Offices Remain Open

Huntington schools are closed today as another prolonged winter storm blew in, dropping heavy snow across Long Island. All school events, including Woodhull School PTA 's Pasta Night, are cancelled.

A mix of snow and rain is expected to continue until Saturday morning as the slow-moving storm lingers over the area.

Plows were out overnight, clearing major roads and side streets but the roads were frequently  covered up again as the snow continued to fall.  Early Friday morning, the sounds of shovels scraping pavement could be heard as some people headed out to work.

The Long Island Railroad said on its Web site that it plans to operate regular weekday service this morning.

"We will be monitoring the changing weather system throughout the storm, and will update this page as necessary," the site read.

Other  school districts in the area closed today include: Harborfields, Cold Spring Harbor, South Huntington, Northport, Elwood, Half Hollow Hills and Commack.

Additional closures:
St. Patrick's School,
St. Peter's Nursery Preschool in Huntington Station,
St. John's Nursery School in Huntington.
Huntington Montessori
LI School for the Gifted
Pam's Giving Tree

The Huntington Public Library is closed Friday because of the snow, according to a recorded message. It expects to open Saturday at 9 a.m. for normal business hours. The Huntington post office on Gerard Street said that it planned to keep its service window open for normal business hours, 9 am to 5 pm, as did the Department of Motor Vehicles office at New York Avenue. All road tests, however, are cancelled; appointments may be re-scheduled on-line or through the road test phone service.

Update: Town of Huntington Supervisor declared a snow emergency at 8:20 a.m., although Town Hall was open at its regular time, 8:30 a.m. A receptionist said that he expected Town Hall to stay open at least for several hours and that Supervisor Petrone would make a decision about early closure as the day went on.

Press release: Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone today declared an official snow emergency, effective at 8 a.m., allowing the Town to take whatever action is necessary to protect the safety of town residents during and after the current storm.

 "This declaration allows me to marshal resources, both public and private, to help deal with the storm's expected effects," Supervisor Petrone said. "Among other things, it helps us put all town employees on notice that they might be needed at any time to assist in this effort, which should help in the scheduling of crews to ensure that all workers have adequate rest."

Under a snow emergency, the Supervisor has the power to close roads, appropriate necessary equipment from all sources and make necessary purchases without following the usual procedures. The declaration also makes available to the highway department Town equipment and personnel to assist highway department crews.

"Residents should feel confident that the Town will do whatever it takes to ensure, as best as possible, that roads are passable and necessary services are being provided. At the same time, we ask the public's help by staying off the roads unless absolutely necessary and by parking cars off public streets," Supervisor Petrone said.

The Supervisor reminds residents that anyone needing to contact the Town should call 351-3234 for emergencies.

No one at either Huntington Bay or Lloyd Harbor Village Halls answered the phone as of 9 a.m. Friday.