Monday, December 28, 2015

Region's DPW winter road warriors set for whatever comes

  • Region's DPW winter road warriors set for whatever comes


  • Joseph Lebeau mixes road sand and salt at the Department of Public Works facility on Albany Street as the Worcester DPW prepares for winter weather Sunday.Joseph Lebeau mixes road sand and salt at the Department of Public Works facility on Albany Street as the Worcester DPW prepares for winter weather Sunday. T&G Staff/Rick Cinclair
  • Joseph Lebeau mixes road sand and salt at the Department of Public Works facility on Albany Street as the Worcester DPW prepares for winter weather Sunday.Kenneth Pizzetti, Highway Superintendent for the Town of Webster, poses for a photo inside the town's salt shed on December 22.  Photo/Matthew Healey
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  • By Brian Lee
    Telegram & Gazette Staff

    Posted Dec. 27, 2015 at 6:13 PM
    Updated at 6:13 AM


    Plows, salt trucks and sanders, resting idle entering the New Year because of unseasonably mild December weather, are ready to go by Nov. 1 of each year, regardless of the conditions, Worcester Public Works Commissioner Paul J. Moosey said.
    This month’s unusually mild weather is being attributed to El NiƱo, the phenomenon that develops when trade winds that normally blow warm water westward in the Pacific stop blowing. The region is on the warm side of jet streams that typically bring arctic air to the Northeast.
    Of course, with a wintry mix predicted this week, everything could change and the army of snow clearing machinery will be ready at the starting gate.
    Last year at this time the weather was also warmer than normal. But there had been snow. There was a storm the day before Thanksgiving, followed by lesser amounts during December and most of January. But on Jan. 30, a large storm set the stage for regular storms throughout February, depleting some communities' supplies of salt.
    Mr. Moosey said prior to the Jan. 30 blizzard, the prelude to five to six weeks of unrelenting snow, Mr. Moosey recalled that people in the city were asking him, "What are you going to do with all that snow money?"
    The city wound up spending about $6.5 million on snow-and-ice removal, from a budget of $4 million, he said.
    Last year, Worcester used 12,000 tons of salt and about 6,700 yards of sand.
    Currently, the city has 6,000 tons and 6,500 tons of salt, which is as much as the shed will hold, and about 300 cubic yards of sand. The city, Mr. Moosey said, can purchase sand without delay at any time.
    Elsewhere, cities and towns and state highway officials say that they are also ready for whenever wintry conditions make their 2015-16 debut.
    In Webster, which spent $414,458 on snow-and-ice removal during the brutal 2014-15 winter, from a budget of $155,000, Highway Superintendent Kenneth L. Pizzetti said:
    "Right now, everything has been well-prepped. Supplies are stocked from the de-icing products on down."
    Its shed is presently full with approximately 800 tons of road salt, which he said is more than enough to get Webster going. Webster used about 2,000 tons during 2014-15.
    According to Fitchburg DPW Director Lenny Laakso, the state encouraged cities and towns "to buy as much salt as we could handle ... just so that they can avoid some of the crush that happened during the season last year when everybody was running out in February."
    Mr. Laakso said that Fitchburg' shed is full with about $300,000 worth of road salt, "but with the mild weather, so far, we're able to continue doing work in the streets that ordinarily would have ended by now," he said.
    Fitchburg spent more than $1.5 million on snow and ice removal last winter. Ordinarily it spends about $900,000. It initially budgets $400,000, with Mr. Laakso approaching the city council for additional funds when that runs low.
    Oxford doesn't enter winter on the notion that it will overspend, preferring what DPW Director Sean M. Divoll called "a true number" for budgeting purposes ($400,305 earmarked for fiscal 2016). Its shed is filled with 2,400 tons of road salt.
    Mr. Divoll, whose town is the lead in a co-operative consisting of about 11 area towns, including Webster, to bid jointly for road salt, said it is "good overall practice to stock up now regardless, of what the state might say or regardless of what the forecast is going to be for the winter."
    Meanwhile, the co-operative allows the participating towns to pool its quantity and bid as a unit with the idea that it will get a better end cost. Currently, at $86.89 per ton, the towns buy salt that is pretreated with a liquid additive that Mr. Divoll said is better than plain white salt.
    Mr. Divoll said the mild weather has been well-received by workers in Oxford. Even though working overtime to remove snow and ice would help them financially, "most of them are pretty happy to go home at 3:30 and seeing their families, especially this time of year.”
    Mr. Pizzetti of Webster said that a couple of his younger workers long for storms because they view them as a challenge.
    “You’ll always have a couple of guys that really enjoy that, and they’re a little bummed out right now,” he said.
    Mr. Laakso said: “If you get it all at once like last February, they're exhausted because they're working around the clock, and if it happens too many times, then they're burnt out. Ideally, we like it spread out."
    The state DOT, which spent $167 million on snow and ice removal last year, from a budget of $107.3 million, is budgeting $110.5 million this year, DOT spokesman Michael Verseckes said in an e-mail. MassDOT is ready for whatever worst-case scenario the winter could bring, he said.
    Mr. Pizzetti of Webster said: "Between fuel and overtime, and your normal snow-and-ice budgets, these types of lulls (in bad weather) are good for every small city and town all over. I would say it’s kind of a blessing."

3 comments:

  1. You will never guess what the residents of South Road got for Christmas ? More holes in the road !! To add to that, the holes that were there are now bigger, than they were before. Bart and I rode down Hubbardston Road, the other day. That road has to take the cake, especially the area after Ryder's development, toward Hutchie's junk yard. So where is that selectman that promised to get the roads fixed ?? How is that going ?? Was getting her road fixed, her claim to fame. I hope you all know she was a Light Company plant. This coming election, the Light Company will more than likely slide some one else in. The Police Chief made a remark about things being quiet, politically, like that is a good thing. That is not good, because things are done, and no one notices, until it bites us in the asses. The Town has been on a roll, spending money we don't have. Remember, we do not have any industry, so any money we spend comes out of your pockets. Merry Christmas !!! How did you like your tax bill ?? Relax, it is only going to get worse..

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  3. So with the roads not getting much better and falling apart as fast as we rebuild the way we do it may be time to think out of the box. The light plant owned by the Town of Templeton and their commission has said on record they would like to pay for road projects rather than see the town through the pilot money away. There's been ample time for it and nothing has been done. No pilot money and still high rates. When asked to pay higher taxes to fix roads the voters said no. No to south road ,no to hubbardston, No to barre and others as well. We can have all new roads and have a better electric rate to go with them. Sell the out of control broken wind turbine company we can do without. Can't afford and are being used by people who could care less about our town or the rate payers. Sell Sell Sell fix the roads and cut the cords to the pirate company we don't need. All the reserve money they have hidden away will be plenty to bring the roads in our town up to par and then some . If they won't pay their share and play games with our money time to flush them and let the sewer plant have them. Let their boys at the paper mill big business get the power like all the others do from the grid lines and pay for it. Why should we have to pay a higher rate to keep their rates lower. Volume is what the rates get higher for when we use it to much so why not the higher user pay for it.
    We have a department that needs to be changed and liquidated to get Templeton back on it feet. Do the light people know what the balances are or if it's funds are where they are told they are? Your guess is as good as anyone. Lets ask Matt Angle former accountant if he ever found out where it was.
    Owe he quit too.
    Well funny thing he was one who talked the talk and didn't!
    Time for some full Light dept.financials to be on display for all to see.
    Year end and statements should be forthcoming soon.
    Lets see where "we" stand with our business and what "we're" worth

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