Are the blue lights on?
Jan. 2nd, 2010 10:50 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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I'm coming over to Somerville in a bit and can find no indication online that there is any snow emergency declared (nor for Cambridge). Malden called one starting @ 8am today. 311 hold wasn't going anywhere. Have any of you folks on CTY heard anything?
EDIT 11:45am: I just called the Malden PD, who told me that their robo-call was not an "official" snow emergency, just a "be courteous about parking" call (even though is said to use the municipal garages). I think they are enjoying their new robo-calling abilities too much - NYE they called just to say the old police chief was retiring!
EDIT 11:45am: I just called the Malden PD, who told me that their robo-call was not an "official" snow emergency, just a "be courteous about parking" call (even though is said to use the municipal garages). I think they are enjoying their new robo-calling abilities too much - NYE they called just to say the old police chief was retiring!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 03:56 pm (UTC)No, but...
Date: 2010-01-02 03:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-03 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 09:12 pm (UTC)Please note that, at the time of this posting, we have no plans to call a snow emergency this weekend.
DPW Commissioner Stan Koty and I began last Thursday morning to consult a variety of weather forecasts and services, including AccuWeather (we use the premium subscriber service)as well as the forecasts and detailed "discussion feeds" of the National Weather Service in Taunton (available publicly through the noaa.gov website). The analyses we have consulted have stayed remarkably consistent since Thursday: this is a slow-motion storm with no more than two inches falling in any 12 hour period (although three inches may actually have fallen in one of these periods).
Under the circumstances, Stan suggested back on New Year's Eve, and I fully concurred, that we should recommend to the Mayor that he hold off on declaring a snow emergency unless conditions changed radically -- which they have yet to do. Instead, DPW has brought in extra road crews to continuously treat and plow our roadways in the expectation that we will be able to stay ahead of the precipitation right through the weekend. So far, that seems to have been the case, with bare, black pavement the norm on most Somerville streets. (Currently, the only eastern Mass community to declare any form of emergency is Taunton -- which has invoked a parking ban -- so we are by no means alone in our assessment.)
In adopting this strategy -- as in all of our parking-related policies and decisions -- our intent has been to provide the maximum number of available parking spaces for residents and businesses alike while ensuring safe roadway conditions for the public.
I assume "masswich" was joking in his/her suggestion that "maybe the plan is to make a bunch of money off tickets" by declaring a stealth snow emergency. If serious, that would be an accusation that my coworkers and I are engaged in a pretty nasty criminal conspiracy -- and the kind of remark that convinced me long ago to drop my membership in this group.
In truth, no city in the Commonwealth has more ways to get the word out on snow emergencies than we do, and we are regularly criticized for declaring them too early, since we try both to get a head start on snow removal operations and to provide as much prior notice as possible.
Here is a link to our most recent press release about snow procedures:
http://www.somervillema.gov/newsDetail.cfm?instance_id=1541
and here is a link to the our downlaodable snow procedires brochure:
http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/SnowBrochureFinal.pdf
I apologize in advance for not responding to any replies to this message, but I am now returning control of this DSLJ logon to my 311 colleagues.
However, on behalf of all the City employees who remain on duty throughout this holiday weekend, please allow me to offer our best wishes for a peaceful and happy New Year.
Thomas P. Champion
Director of Communications
City of Somerville
no subject
Date: 2010-01-03 05:04 am (UTC)I thought that's what the "24-hour Snow Line" at (617) 628-SNOW is for. But not only does the current recording not mention the lack of a snow emergency for today's storm, it even has an outdated message stating that because of "this weekend's snow emergency" (referring to the storm 2 weeks ago!), street cleaning is suspended until the spring.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-03 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-03 03:49 pm (UTC)You can also sign up to have the alerts e-mailed to you, in which case they're instantaneous. That said, if you live on a street like mine, you're better off watching the weather and finding a parking spot a day in advance of a snow storm.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 04:59 pm (UTC)Yeah, that's what makes people think the way the city deals with parking is a money making opportunity
20 feet
Date: 2010-01-07 04:36 am (UTC)The PCOs in Somerville are vigilant, to be sure, but its for the greater good, which is safety and quality of life. If you get a "20 ft to intersection" violation and think its unfair, get a tape measure, take a picture and request a hearing.
In any event, you'll think twice about where you leave your car, which benefits us all.