Snow joke for Long Island landlords

It's been anything but a winter wonderland for Long Island's commercial landlords and property managers.

RBR, which doesn't usually sell snow blowers, sold 150 in a couple of weeks, and is waiting for another shipment. They've also sold more plows this winter than ever before. The company has contracted nearly 200 trucks and has about 75 shovelers to service its clients from New York City to the East End. Weslowski said the largest plows can cost $350 per hour, if you can find one to clear your lot.Then there is the garden. I am not sure why I still bother. Maybe it is due to a memory of my youth, when I spent two summers working on a farm. It may also be some innate desire to see something grow from nothing, that I had a part in. I think it is the latter, but regardless, every April I go out and till, fertilizer and lime the soil, while I sacrifice my body to the Black flies. By May I begin to plant the Peas, Carrots and Onions. By June I plant the Tomatoes, Peppers and Squash. And by July, I am at war with the local Wood Chuck."We have to try to give tenants a safe environment," Dorsi said, "no matter what the weather brings.""If you're a snow contractor you're making money," Dorsi said."When I'm giving tours now I show them the parking lot," Wachtler said. "Then they can see what kind of service they can expect here.""It's really pretty light in most areas," Evenson said.Wachtler has another tip to keep his buildings clean and open on time: Keep your plow guys close by.Nearly 5 feet of snow - more than three times the norm - has fallen on the area from seven separate storms, creating a nightmare for the people responsible for getting buildings open, accessible and ready for business. With costs for repeated plowing, shoveling, salting and sanding piling up, the season's already been expensive, and there's still almost two months of winter to get through.That effort has been monumental this winter, with most property managers spending a lot more money than they had planned. Phil Wachtler of Farmingdale-based Wachtler Knopf Equities said his management firm takes care of 11 buildings in Nassau and Suffolk counties, representing about 800,000 square feet of office space, and for him, the harsh season's been costly.Residents in north El Paso County - particularly in Monument and Palmer Lake - could receive 1-3 inches of snow by midnight Friday."We let our guys park their trucks in our lots," he said. "That way, they plow us first."For retailers and tenants in shopping centers, snow removal is added onto their common area maintenance charges, so tenants and not landlords bear the cost.Diane Dorsi, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Long Island, said it's been a tough go for her members so far."Normally we're busy before the season getting the equipment ready and by Christmas it slows down," Weslowski said. "This year it hasn't slowed down at all. We've been digging people out left and right."There are two main questions I debate as I compile my spring �To-Do� list: What to do and when to do it?

"We let our guys park their trucks in our lots," he said. "That way, they plow us first."

Author: David Winzelberg