Melrose DPW Gears Up For Blizzard on Friday

The Melrose Department of Public Works is preparing for a potentially historic blizzard expected to hit the city on Friday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Watch for Middlesex County and much of Massachusetts from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. The Melrose area is expected to receive 18 to 24 inches of snow during the blizzard, according to the NWS forecast.

Melrose DPW Director John Scenna and his team are gearing up in anticipation for blizzard-like conditions.

"We spend the majority of our winter season preparing for worst case situations. Based on forecasts, this appears to be one of these events," Scenna said in an email to Melrose Patch. "Preparation is key in these types of events and we will have a designated group of the department preparing equipment throughout the day on Thursday. The balance of the department will focus on business as usual."

Trash and Recycling Collection Plan

Scenna said he intends to keep curbside trash and recycling collection on schedule on Friday, and his managers will be spending time brainstorming and preparing operation plans for all segments of the storm.

"It is critical to review and absorb as many forecasts as possible going into a storm of this magnitude. The overall snow accumulation is important but not as important as understanding how exactly the storm’s pace will be to get us to that accumulation," Scenna said. "It is important to understand when wind and visibility issues could most impact an operation and/or when the inch per hour could be the greatest."

Game Planning

Senior staff and operations storm group will discuss and review various scenarios that could play out during the blizzard, such as how to handle equipment breakdowns, according to Scenna.

"Much like a coach in sports, we drill on many situations that could arise and how we are positioned to respond all while emphasizing that our work force rest leading up to Friday," Scenna said. "As always, we urge resident(s) to be patient and stay off the roads during the storm and try to keep drain catch basins and fire hydrants accessible."

Scenna said that all full-time employees will be working throughout the blizzard, with nearly 60 public works employees on hand during the peak of the storm.

Stocking Up

As for materials to treat roads and sidewalks, Scenna said, "We have over 1,200 ton(s) of salt in stock and all our equipment is ready. We will spend the day Thursday greasing and lubing our equipment and checking fluids and checking stock inventory. Preventative maintenance is key."

Once the blizzard is bearing down on Melrose, Scenna said his team will go into a pre-treating phase Friday, applying salt to roads so that the snow does not pack down and can be plowed.

"Once accumulation gets over three inches, we typically switch to a full plowing operation and will stay in this mode until our roads are fully accessible," Scenna said. "This includes all main collector roads, neighborhood areas, dead end streets, sidewalks and municipal and school grounds. This will be followed by a series of smaller operations, most likely throughout the weekend, focused on clean up, clean up around schools and municipal buildings and widening of intersections.

"The nature and number of these types of crew events will obviously depend on the severity of the storm and how much snow we end up getting. Forecasts of warm temperatures on Monday with rain, however, are hopeful and something we appreciate."

If residents have questions, concerns or would like to volunteer to shovel, they can contact the Operations Facility offices at 781-665-0142.