Few problems were reported in the area as more than 15 inches of snow fell.
By: Linda Seida
The snowstorm that blew into the region over the weekend was great for children and not too shabby for adults, either.
Most students received an unexpected holiday Monday as local public works departments continued the cleanup, and no major accidents or power outages were reported.
"A good 15 inches" of snow fell in Lambertville and surrounding areas, according to Lambertville’s director of Public Works, Paul Cronce.
The school districts of South Hunterdon Regional, Lambertville Public School and New Hope-Solebury remained closed Monday. But in Stockton, the students weren’t as lucky. Children there still attended classes despite the snowstorm.
"We’re go-getters," Stockton Mayor Gregg Rackin said Monday. "School is open."
No accidents or emergencies occurred in the borough as a result of the heavy snowfall. Mayor Rackin credited the good fortune to the weekend when most people could refrain from driving for work- or school-related trips.
"People weren’t out. They didn’t have to go pick up their kids," he said.
By Monday morning, Stockton’s luck held. No problems stemmed from the storm.
"We’re fine," Mayor Rackin said. "Our roads are clear, and I have not gotten any calls of any problems."
The situation was much the same in Lambertville and neighboring New Hope.
"We did OK," Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio said. "I think the city is in pretty good shape."
In New Hope, Borough Manager John Burke said the borough did "very well" during the extreme weather, and the Public Works Department and its director, Tom Carroll, performed "an absolutely marvelous job."
Even PennDOT, he said, rose to the occasion, clearing state roads such as Bridge Street and Main Street in a timely manner.
New Hope Police Chief Rick Pasqualini said the borough had extra patrols on duty, but it was a safe and quiet weekend.
Most people performed whatever tasks they had to accomplish Friday and Saturday before the snow arrived, thanks to the weather reports advising of the likelihood of heavy snowfall.
Mayor Del Vecchio said, "From our perspective, we prefer a storm on the weekend because, number one, we can focus everything on the weekend without having to worry about garbage pickup and recycling pickup."
It helped that residents stayed off the roads.
"People know they’ve got nowhere to go so they deal with it," Mayor Del Vecchio said.
The mayor praised the city’s road crews.
"They did a fine job, and everything was as good as could be expected, I think," he said.
Mr. Cronce and a crew of seven worked from Saturday morning through Sunday morning to clear city roadways. In addition, a truck from the Lambertville Sewerage Authority was put into snowplowing service.
"They really helped us out tremendously," Mr. Cronce said.
Monday the city’s Public Works employees were trying to dispose of piles of snow that had been plowed over the weekend. They were working to remove snow from intersections and catch basins and transport it to Ely Field and a field off Main Street by the Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead Museum in Delaware Township.
Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza described the snowstorm as "relatively uneventful."
"Most people stayed off the roads," Mr. Cocuzza said.

