Mountains of snow and ice have piled up around the Vineyard — in parks and parking lots and along roads — following two major storms that have tested Island plow crews and depleted municipal snow removal budgets.
The most recent storm, ending on Monday, dropped about nine inches of fluffy snow, adding to the 20 or so inches that fell during a historic blizzard in late January. Huge snowdrifts remain in Katama, around the airport, at Ocean Park and on many Island roads. A portion of Edgartown-West Tisbury Road running along the airport is lined with snow banks exceeding 10 feet on either side.
Snow removal budgets in several Island towns are already overspent. Oak Bluffs has spent twice the $35,000 budgeted for the year. Tisbury town accountant Suzanne Kennedy said Thursday that it was too soon to know how much of its $15,000 budget had been spent.
Aquinnah town accountant Kimberly Brown said in an email that the town's $10,759 budget for ice and snow removal was nearly depleted.
Chilmark’s snow and ice budget for this year was $7,000, and $33,753 had been spent as of last week. Nevertheless, the funds can be replenished without a town meeting vote. “This is one budget where you are allowed to have a deficit and you can raise that on your tax recap,” Chilmark town accountant Ellen Biskis explained.
Edgartown’s snow removal budget this year was $36,700, including $18,400 for overtime pay. “As of last week there was a very small balance,” town highway director Stuart Fuller said Wednesday, noting that because the most recent storm fell on a three-day weekend, all the labor was overtime.
The storm began late Saturday and lasted all day Sunday with wind-driven snow and high winds. Ferries were canceled all day Sunday, and by Monday, the Presidents Day holiday, Islanders began shoveling out again. Blowing, drifting snow continued to cover roadways as highway crews and private contractors worked around the clock to keep main thoroughfares plowed and sanded.
Mr. Fuller said Edgartown crews had still been cleaning up after the first storm when the second one hit.
“We worked day in and day out hauling snow from that first blizzard,” he said. “Even last Friday the 13th, we were still hauling snow out of town in anticipation of additional storms to make room.” He noted that Gov. Charlie Baker had declared a state of emergency during the first storm, and said he hoped the towns would get some federal reimbursement for storm expenses.
Edgartown’s snow is being moved to the town parking lot at the park and ride off of Dark Woods Road. In Oak Bluffs, the snow is being piled up in Waban Park. Officials in Tisbury and Aquinnah said their snow was being hauled wherever there was room.
Town highway departments usually contract with private companies to keep roads cleared during and after storms. John Thayer of the Tisbury DPW said a lack of private contractors during the January storm had hampered road clearing efforts in Tisbury, but that the recent storm was easier to handle.
“I think there was a lot more communication between departments,” Mr. Thayer said, noting a pre-storm meeting that included members of the police and fire departments and the DPW. “Less snow, less duration, and better communication, and that helped,” he said. But he added that “the result of a severe storm is that it may take an extra day to clean up.”
Parking bans in downtown Tisbury during both storms contributed to store closures. Meredith Gallo, co-owner of Mocha Mott’s, in Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, said she needed to close both of her stores during the January storm. But during the weekend storm, only the Tisbury store was closed.
Ms. Gallo said the Oak Bluffs store was still relatively lively, with staple businesses like Reliable Market and Phillips Hardware staying open for the community. She also said sidewalks in Oak Bluffs are generally more passable than in Tisbury.
During the January storm, tall drifts around Ocean Park and Barnes Road, along with heavy winds, made it difficult to keep the roads cleared, said town highway superintendent Richard Combra. “The second storm it was a little more manageable,” he said. Mr. Combra said his town typically clears its main roads without issuing a parking ban.
“I give my crew and private contractors a lot of credit,” he said. “They have worked really hard this winter and it has been a challenge for a lot of people.”
John Keene Excavation in West Tisbury assisted Aquinnah, Chilmark and state crews with front-end loaders, a backhoe and two pickup trucks with plows during the January storm. At least one state plow truck had gotten stuck at the airport and needed to be pulled out. Two state trucks and a town truck had gotten stuck in the drifts at Aquinnah Circle. This weekend, Mr. Keene had a front-end loader working in Aquinnah to help push up the drifts at the corners of intersections.
He believed there had been some traffic problems resulting from drivers being unable to see around corners. “But everyone is pretty good about knowing they need to be careful,” he said. He added that snow banks tend to settle and shrink after being piled up.
“Hopefully in a week or so it will start to melt,” Mr. Keene said.
This week’s storm was followed by several days of bitter cold temperatures and strong winds.
In the Edgartown harbor the Chappaquiddick ferry was slowed and hampered by ice, with just a narrow pathway kept open as the ferry made its way back and forth across the channel.
In Menemsha, residents took in an unusual sight on Tuesday, when a 65-foot Coast Guard ice breaker was called in from New Haven, Conn., to break up ice that was up to six inches thick in the Menemsha harbor. Another Coast Guard icebreaker had been deployed in New Bedford.
“I haven’t seen an ice floe like that in years,” Aquinnah resident Buddy Vanderhoop said of the scene in Menemsha. “You could have walked across the harbor.”
An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about the snow removal budget for the town of Aquinnah. The story has been corrected.
Comments (5)
Comments
Comment policy »