WE SUSPECT Park St. resident Barry Lombard is expressing a wry commentary on the Winter of 2017 by placing this mailbox about eight feet in the air. Either that, or his mailman is LeBron James. (Kathi Lee Photo)
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING — The second Blizzard of 2015 – heck, it was the second blizzard in three weeks — roared into town Saturday night into Sunday, whacking everyone with another 15 inches of snow, raising North Reading’s total snowfall this winter to over 96 inches, nearly all of it received since Jan. 26, when the first blizzard struck. Town DPW crews are continuing to work this week to clear snow from intersections, etc. and have been busy clearing snow from the roofs of town buildings.
In the meantime, the extraordinary weather has pushed the last day of school back to June 29 – and that’s assuming there are no more blizzards or nor’easters in our future.
Light snow started in the area around 2 p.m. on Saturday and grew steadily more heavy throughout the day and evening hours, reaching blizzard conditions overnight. DPW crews reported to work Saturday afternoon as a light snow began to fall. By dinner time the snow was beginning to pile up and when local folks awoke on Sunday morning they were buried yet again and spent most of the day digging out in frigid temperatures accompanied by arctic blasts of wind.
The timing of the storm on Valentine’s Day weekend was a double edged sword. Weekend storms are normally good news for local school systems that aren’t forced to burn extra snow days and that was the case this year. But this storm forced many couples to cancel their plans for Valentine’s Day, which was a blow to local restaurant business.
DPW Director Dick Carnevale agreed the weekend arrival of the storm was helpful to his stressed out snow removal crews, who had already switched to removing snow from the roofs of town buildings this week. They worked to clear the roof of town hall and fire station on Monday and on Tuesday they tackled the Public Works garage. The police station was scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.
On Tuesday morning, the DPW Director said, there were crews out opening up corners and opening up hydrants. The goal is to have the sidewalks opened up by the time the kids return to school on Feb. 23, he said. “This happened on school vacation and a lot of people were gone and that was helpful. All I know is, I’m counting the days until I see grass.”
One problem on horizon that concerns Carnevale is a critical shortage of road salt, which could be a problem for the next storm. “We are down to very little salt” along with other cities and towns in the area and delivery of more salt, which comes from South America, is uncertain, said Carnevale.
The DPW is working systematically, up and down streets, to open up intersections, etc., Carnevale said. Residents who have issues they want addressed should call the DPW in town hall and they will try to address it as soon as they can, Carnevale said.
Snow days piling up
School officials were grateful the storm came on a weekend, however, and especially at the start of February vacation week.
With four weeks remaining until the first day of spring, North Reading Public Schools have already used six snow days this winter, as February has been the snowiest month in Boston’s history. Before last weekend’s storm, North Reading had already received 81 inches of snow. (Classes were cancelled on Jan. 27 and 28, Feb. 2 and 3, and Feb. 9 and 10). The six snow days exceeds the five days built into the school calendar and if there are no additional snow days for the remainder of the season – a big If – the last day of school is tentatively set for Monday, June 29, a cause of concern for school officials.
Under no circumstances do school officials want the year to extend past June 30, which is the final day of the fiscal 2015 budget year.
“It’s been a challenging winter,” said Superintendent of Schools Jon Bernard. “Everyone has done an outstanding job in helping to deal with the inordinate amount of snow this year.”
School Committee Chairman Jerry Venezia agreed that the DPW’s help has been key to limiting the number of snow days. Without their help, the town would have lost three snow days in the blizzard, not just two, he said.
The teachers’ contract does not allow the school year to extend beyond June 30, said School Committee member Mel Webster. And June 29 isn’t an ideal date for the last day of school because it’s a Monday and a lot of students might not show up, he said.
“It’s a concern now,” said one parent. “There’s a lot of kids who have attention problems to begin with. It’s pretty serious in trying to stay focused and meet our goals,” she said.
Venezia agreed the interruptions are harmful to continuity. Other districts have lost seven or eight days, he mentioned.
