Wednesday, March 20, 2013
With $18.1 million spent before Tuesday's storm, Boston has spent more than its budgeted amount for snow removal this winter.
Before the most recent storm had even started, Boston had overspent its $17.8 million snow removal budget, with costs so far coming in at $18.1 million. But that doesn't mean the city will be unable to continue to clean up after snowstorms, according to the city's chief financial officer, Meredith Weenick. Weenick said that the city's $2.5 billion budget should be able to take on the extra costs of this year's snow removal through surpluses in other areas. "It all falls to the bottom line," Weenick said. "Over the course of the year, we watch the budget, and, based on my projections, I feel confident that the known surpluses will cover the projected deficits—and even the potential for the next storm." The $18.1 million spent so far this …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Students will be counted as 'constructively absent.'
Boston Public School officials said that any student not in school on Friday, March 8 will be marked as "constructively present," meaning the absence will be excused. School officials did not close school on Friday because of the inclement weather and will dismiss on their normal schedules. School buses will complete all scheduled routes. But all extracurricular activites including athletic events have been cancelled. Boston Public Schools posted a message on its Facebook page about students being marked "constructively present" and noted that an automated phone call was going out to all families about the decision. “Our school staff, especially our facilities teams, have done an incredible job today keeping sidewalks and driveways clear …
It snowed throughout the night, making roads slick and dangerous, and many bus stops and sidewalks are still covered.
Boston Public Schools did not close school today despite the continued snowfall throughout the night and into this afternoon. With sidewalks, streets and bus stops all needing to be plowed, should Boston schools have been cancelled today? Boston Public Schools have already said they will forgive all absences today, according to WBZ's Beth Germano. Boston Public Schools posted that school was open today, and a message about buses: "Some school buses are delayed due to heavy traffic in the city. All of our school buses are on the road and will complete their scheduled routes this morning and afternoon. If you have school bus transportation questions, please call our Transportation Hotline at 617-635-9520." But some parents feel otherwise, …
What does the neighborhood look like this morning?
It seems the city got more snow than expected overnight. Got a great picture of the streets, snow piles and other sights around the neighborhood? Share it here! Just click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button above to add your photos. You can also email images to becca.manning@patch.com or tweet @CharlestwnPatch.
City officials urge caution during the remainder of Friday's winter storm.
[UPDATED Friday, March 8, 10:05 a.m.] Boston Public Schools remain open Friday morning, though Mayor Thomas Menino is urging residents to use caution and take advantage of public transportation as much as possible for their morning commute in light of the ongoing winter storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for eastern Massachusetts until about 1 p.m. Friday. The weather advisory calls for heavy, wet snow with an accumulation of 6-10 inches as well as strong wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. As of 8 a.m., the city had not issued a snow emergency or parking ban; regular parking rules remain in effect. UPDATE, 10 a.m. City crews will collect trash and recycling on the normal Friday schedule. Crews may be …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A long-duration storm is knocking on the city's door, but most local meteorologists expect little snow in Boston.
Boston's in for some wet weather Wednesday through Friday, according to local forecasts, but don't get out your snow shovels yet. For Boston, the local weather teams aren't predicting very much snow. Instead, expect a lot of rain and maybe some heavy slushy snow in spots. While areas inland may get a half a foot of snow, Boston's bigger concern is the three high tides during this storm. Flooding may become an issue along the immediate coast. Here are the latest forecasts from the local television news weather teams. All totals were updated Wednesday morning. WHDH (7 News): All rain WLVI (NewsCenter 5): 1-2 inches along the coast, six inches or more inland WBZ (CBS Local): 2-4 inches WFXT (MyFox Boston): 1-3 inches NECN: 1-3 inches
Friday, February 22, 2013
The city lies right on the rain/snow line, meaning a degree or two of temperature change in either direction will determine what kind of storm we get.
[UPDATED Friday, Feb. 22, 12:13 p.m.] Saturday's storm is proving to be a tricky one for area forecasters to get a hold on. Although it's not supposed to dump anywhere near the levels of precipitation Nemo did two weeks ago, it could drop significant rain or snow depending on where and when temperatures cross the freezing point. At the moment, Boston lies right on the projected rain/snow line, meaning we could get less than an inch of snow or several inches. As of late morning Friday, the National Weather Service was predicting an inch or less of wet snow in Boston, but maps issued by the service put Boston in an area that could get a few inches. Forecasters seem to agree that in either case, the wintry precipitation will start falling …
The Department of Public Works started with more than 30,000 tons of salt this winter and has only used a couple thousand so far.
Boston has tons of salt ready to use for this weekend's forecasted snowstorm. The city started off with more than 30,000 tons of salt this winter and has only used a couple thousand, even after the Blizzard of 2013. Boston sanders, plows, trucks and contracted winter workers use only salt or a mixture of salt and water when cleaning up after a storm, officials stated. Some residents in neighborhoods such as the South End have expressed concerns about the products being used on sidewalks, worried their pets' feet could be harmed by the materials. Business owners in West Roxbury and on Jamaica Plain's Centre Street have often heard complaints about snow melt products through the years. City officials say no chemicals are being used by public…
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Boston city councilor says the neighborhood's side streets got some attention on Monday but that there is still a lot of work to be done.
Though there was a delay in getting Charlestown’s side streets plowed after the weekend snowstorm, the neighborhood was looking much better by Monday afternoon, District 1 City Councilor Sal LaMattina said. “Today they’re out there full swing and the neighborhood looks good. We still have major snow piles on Main Street and Bunker Hill Street, and those need to be repaired. Hopefully the city won’t lift the parking ban until they remove some of those piles of snow,” LaMattina said. The city councilor said he wasn’t sure what exactly caused the delay in plowing but that crews worked during the weekend to clear Charlestown’s major thruways. “I heard that they were concentrated on the main arteries, which is Bunker Hill, Austin and Main …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
A quick look at important numbers and news from the two-day storm.
Charlestown and the rest of Boston saw about 21.8 inches of snow, give or take a few, in the Blizzard of 2013, according to measurements taken at Logan Airport in nearby East Boston. The snowstorm swept in as predicted around noon on Friday, Feb. 8 and steadily increased through the evening, with strong winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour and snowfall quite heavy at times. In Boston, as many as 850 NSTAR customers were without power at one point Friday evening. Electricity was restored fairly quickly in the city compared to some of the less fortunate communities in southeastern Massachusetts, particularly along the Cape. By Saturday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., only 41 NSTAR customers in Boston were reporting power outages. A …
Plenty O'Toole
7:44 am on Thursday, March 21, 2013
The $18.1 million spent so far this winter roughly breaks down as follows: •$2.7 million spent before the Blizzard of 2013 •$13 million spent on the blizzard itself, with $7 million on plowing and $5 million on snow removal •$2.6 million on the March 8 storm How many millions spent on idling plows and streets that were never cleared until the complaints began choking social media sites? Recoup … more ›