Boston lawmaker calls for state and city to do better job clearing snow following storm
Boston remains blanketed in heaps of snow now more than a week and a half removed from a major snow storm. Neighbors in some communities have seen a reprieve from snow removal, yet others continue to wait while navigating tough sidewalks.
"When it first came in it was fun, mostly for the dogs, not so much the parking. Not a ton of progress as far as removal," South Boston resident Mike Biggane said.
Boston snow removal
The city says crews have removed a total of 89,000 cubic yards of snow piles in the aftermath of the recent storm, but Biggane's neighborhood has yet to be touched.
The city just put signs into the snowbanks to warn of snow pile removal. Vehicles can't park there or else they will be towed. The problem is, the signs in his neighborhood don't have a date or time written on them.
"I think it's easy to say something is going to happen, and less easy to say when and how," Biggane said.
Nonetheless, neighbors now have to avoid parking there with no understanding of how long that may be.
Lawmaker calls for improvement
Nick Collins, the state senator who oversees South Boston, calls the signs a waiting game. He wants to see the city and state do a better job at sharing their capabilities and technology. MassDOT has snow melting machines.
"That's why we reached out to the Mass Port Authority who have assets, and their contractors have assets, that are usually there to help the cause once state assets are clear, and that is what we have asked to do," says Collins.
Even schools like the Patrick Lyndon Pilot School in West Roxbury posted to social media, asking parents to help shovel out the recess area.
In a statement, Boston Public Schools said,
"Boston Public Schools prioritized student and staff safety through one of the largest snowstorms New England has experienced in years. With a significant volume of snow, there can be challenges and our crews remained focused on working efficiently to clear entrances, walkways, and bus access points to safely reopen 125 BPS sites after two consecutive snow days. Due to ongoing cold conditions, schools are using indoor or alternative spaces for recess as needed. We will continue coordinating with school teams to assess additional snow removal where possible and appreciate the community's support as clean-up efforts continue."
"I guess it takes a village, but the public has a right to expect a baseline of safety and ability to take care of the basics and that's something we have to continue advocating for," Collins said.
"I will believe it when I see it"
In the past few days, outdated snow removal signs could be spotted in East Boston. However, those signs have been replaced with new signs that indicate snow removal will happen Wednesday night until Thursday morning.
"I will believe it when I see it," said East Boston resident Jacqueline Romatoksi.
Romatoski has a young child, with another on the way. Navigating her neighborhood has become a chore.
"It's just not possible. You can't take the stroller out. I tried to drive to the library with this little guy, and I even had trouble parking," Romatoski said.
Dog owners feel a similar pain too as they attempt to walk their pups through snow berms at crosswalks.
"Trying to navigate in between the snow banks and across the street is tough, so you don't get hit," East Boston resident Irie Friot said. "Snow removal would be nice, but unfortunate it's not done yet."
Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata oversees East Boston. She had this to say of the difficult snow conditions of her neighborhood,
"I acknowledge this historic storm has presented unique challenges and impacted residents' quality of life. I want to thank the dedicated workers at the Public Works Department and Streets Cabinet for their efforts in the multi-day recovery phase clearing our streets and sidewalks in the aftermath of the storm," Zapata said.
For those neighbors who are not consistently shoveling or are still using space savers, beware. The city says they have already issued more than 1,600 snow-related code enforcement violations following this storm.