Overview:
The Assistant Public Works Director of Athol, Paul Raskevitz, praised his department's response to the recent snowstorm that dumped over 16 inches of snow on the town. Crews worked through the storm to keep roads open and will begin downtown snow removal on Tuesday. Residents are advised not to put snow back in the road and to dig out any fire hydrants near their homes. Property owners have 48 hours after the snow has stopped falling to clear the sidewalk in front of their home or business.
ATHOL – Assistant Public Works Director Paul Raskevitz said Monday morning that he was “ecstatic” with the way his department responded to the storm that dumped more than 16 inches of snow on the town over the weekend.
“We kept everything open through the whole storm and the crews are doing their last pass right now,” he said on Monday.
The department, he said, will likely begin downtown snow removal on Tuesday. Trimming back snowbanks at intersections to ensure adequate line-of-sight for motorists, he added, is a project that will probably take place over the next two weeks.
On Sunday afternoon, the Athol Daily News spoke with Highway Foreman Jason Lichtenburger, who was overseeing the effort to keep roads safe as the snow piled up. Asked if residents were keeping vehicles out of the way of snow plows, Lichtenburger said, “Cars seem to be off the street, for the most part. The only thing we have are just a few problem areas [where] we have to make a clear path, but the roads are being opened up right now for emergency personnel; we have to keep the roads open for them.”
The foreman did note that one of the trucks was sidelined with a mechanical problem.
“It’s out of commission for the rest of the storm,” he said, “but we were able to get another truck back on that route.
“I’d love it if we had another crew to come in and replace us after 16 hours, but we don’t have that,” Lichtenburg added. “We just take breaks when we possibly can. Our guys run the storm completely. We don’t have guys who come in and replace us after 16 hours, and with storms like this, it’s hard to get a break.”
As for post-storm cleanup, Raskevitz said residents could help by keeping snow out of the roads.
“The biggest thing is not putting snow back in the road, because snow that’s shoveled or snowblown into the road, is just going to end up back in the end of your driveway again,” he said. “A lot of people still do that, unfortunately. It’s tough because when you get this much snow, it’s tough to put it anywhere. But if it goes in the road, it ultimately always ends up back where it came from.”
Raskevitz also said residents can help their neighborhood by digging out any fire hydrants near their homes. DPW crews, he said, “only do the hydrants that abut town property; like, for example, the ones around Lake Park. We would do those. As for the others, those are the abutters’ responsibility.”
He also noted that property owners have 48 hours after snow has stopped falling to make sure the sidewalk in front of their home or business is clear of snow. Section 15 of the town bylaws states: “No fines will be imposed on any property owner until the Town has completed clearing and/or treating all sidewalks that abut Town property.” Enforcement of the bylaw, Raskevitz said, is left to the police.
Residents, said Raskevitz, have largely adhered to the overnight parking ban.
“I think the Selectboard and town manager’s office and the Police Department did a pretty good job getting the word out about the parking bans.
“I’m ecstatic with the way things worked,” Raskevitz said. “I couldn’t be happier with the crew. It’s just an incredible group of hardworking people.”