By BOB BURGESS
WAKEFIELD — The New England Patriots Super Bowl victory last night brought immense relief and then joy to the area, as the team celebrated its fourth NFL championship in the difficult-to-navigate free agency era.
Among the fans cheering the Patriots on against the Seattle Seahawks were those who today were back out plowing Wakefield streets as another winter storm blanketed the area with what will be about foot of new snow.
The region’s current weather pattern has brought no rest for the weary, and DPW Director Richard Stinson knows his men could use it.
“They’re exhausted,” Stinson explained. “The guys plowed on Saturday, scraping the hills and main drags, because we got about two more inches overnight. Then they cleared the Square, Greenwood, Albion Street, North Avenue and Tuttle Street beginning around 9 Saturday night. We called them back in this morning around 2 and the contractors a little later, around 4 or 4:30. Everyone’s wiped out. When you have these types of storms only days apart, you have to let them get some rest.”
The DPW has been unable to use its large, old CAT snow blower on steep banks in places like the downtown business district because exhaust fumes come into the driver’s area, making it dangerously unhealthy to operate. As a result, crews use loaders to bring snow to the town’s yard waste site on Nahant Street, which takes more time.
The area was expected to get 12 additional inches of snow in today’s storm, with more on the way later in the week and early next week. Then, Stinson reported, the weather pattern changes a bit.
Prior to last week’s crippling blizzard, Wakefield received about nine inches of snow in the winter of 2014-15. Then the blizzard brought 29 inches, two more Friday and Saturday and at least another foot today.
“We’re up to 50 inches of snow and we still have two months of winter left,” Stinson said.
Crews were nearly done with plowing sidewalks around town when today’s storm hit. School was cancelled about an hour before the Super Bowl started, allowing many students to watch the whole game. Trash pickup was held as scheduled today, the DPW reported.
Wind-blown snow started falling in the early hours of Monday and was expected to continue for most of the day.
Many cities and towns gave kids another snow day, but Gov. Charlie Baker did not order a ban on non-essential travel as he had done in the prior storm and many people appeared to be trying to make it to work.
Public transportation was operating, with delays
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
