As the winter storm approached last week, students kept their fingers crossed for a snow day, residents prepped snowblowers and shovels, French toast ingredients were purchased and the Needham Police Department added AI images to its repertoire of social media skills to keep the public informed. But at the DPW, it was all business and all hands on deck as the third-largest January storm since 1885 was slated to hit.
“This is the first major storm we’ve had in about four years,” said Director of Public Works Carys Lustig, comparing the response to muscle memory. “We just haven’t done it as much as we had in the past when we had more frequent snow events.” Fortunately, she said, they were able to practice on the smaller 4- to 6-inch storms earlier in the season.
Also in the town’s favor was the contract for three large pieces of snow removal equipment signed just days before the storm. With limited equipment available, competition for contractors with heavy-duty trucks and plows is at a premium. Towns are now outbid by large apartment complexes such as those on University Avenue in Westwood and Legacy Place in Dedham.
“The large companies have really gone to those larger developments,” said Lustig. “They pay per the inch, not per the hour, and they usually have pretty significant signing bonuses, some minimum payments.” She said she has been warning the Select Board for several years of the town’s waning ability to attract contracts that include large equipment. She said contractors dispatch far more small landscape trucks to clear the roads. This is fine for smaller storms, “but once you get about past a foot, they become less effective. You can’t stack snow that high because the plows simply don’t go that high.”
The lack of large plows was one of a few challenges DPW faced during the two-day event. Early on, the extreme cold took out several pairs of wiper blades, which then took trucks off the streets until those could be repaired. “We had a few mechanical challenges, both on our part and the contractors’, especially at the beginning,” said Lustig. “We actually have a fully staffed garage, so we had four mechanics who worked throughout the entire event.” No equipment had to be taken out of service completely during this storm.
Working around cars parked in the streets and parking lots, particularly those of people sledding at Memorial Hill, also complicated snow removal. “When it comes to snow, I think this entire region has sort of lost a little bit of the snow hardiness and that snow awareness,” said Lustig. “I think it’s just a little bit of that snow common sense has gone away.”
Overall, she said they were well prepared in advance of the storm despite being at 80% of desired staffing. Other than the last few inches of snow that came at the end, the forecast was accurate and allowed staff to pretreat roads and arrive ready for the long days. Starting Sunday morning, many staff members worked 24 hours straight, took a four-hour break, then went back to work for another 12-24 hours.
The magnitude of the storm did bring the hoped-for snow day for NPS students, but only one. Tuesday was school as usual despite the narrow roadways and un-cleared sidewalks and parking lots. Superintendent Dan Gutekanst said he made the decision after extensive collaboration with town staff, consistent weather updates and his personal observation of road, sidewalk and parking lot conditions. “This past storm it became clear to me that even a delayed opening would not have helped, conditions would still be challenging,” he said. “Each decision is unique and each one is imperfect. Families should rest assured that significant time and resources go into determining an appropriate decision and then getting schools ready. If a parent ever feels it is unsafe to send their child to school, they should make a decision that is appropriate for their family.”
Although schools were open Tuesday, the transfer station remained closed for the safety of both staff — the same people responsible for snow removal — and residents. “The issue is that we have to have operators operating large equipment around passenger vehicles, and when they haven’t slept in 48 hours, it’s not a great scenario,” said Lustig. “We sort of push through it because that’s how snow is handled in New England; but beyond that we don’t want to risk anyone for additional exposure.”
Sidewalk trucks were deployed Tuesday to help clear paths, and snow that has been temporarily piled high in lots and parking spaces will be moved to the Recycling and Transfer Station between Wednesday and Thursday nights once the staff has had a day to rest and recover.
During her Town Manger’s report to the Select Board Jan. 27, Katie King expressed her appreciation for the staff that worked around the clock clearing and treating the streets. She also explained that the temporary inconvenience of parking spots blocked by piles of snow is a design of the removal plan. “That is intentional,” she said. “It’s the immediate storm response.” She explained that the delay before removing those large mounds of snow is not only to allow staff the rest necessary to safely operate the equipment, but also because the hauling can only be done at night once all town businesses have closed. She commended the work of the many town departments, such as health and human services, public safety and schools, who have not used this particular “muscle” in quite a while but did an excellent job responding to the event.
The DPW now has a few days before the next storm, which is being forecast as either a nor’easter or a wind event. “We’re all hoping (it’s) a wind event,” said Lustig.
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