City Takes Steps to Prepare for Winter Snow Operations

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

The Lynn City Council’s Public Works Subcommittee/Task Force on winter storm response met Tuesday to discuss a proposal to change the pay schedule for private snow plowers who agree to work under contract to the city during snow removal operations and increased the requirements for trucks that can perform the work.

According to Ward 3 Councior Darren Cyr, who chairs the task force, the changes are expected to have a positive impact for the city and the Public Works department, in how the city plans snow removal and how quickly it is able to clear streets during major storm events.

“We expect these changes will help the city respond to snow storms better,” said Cyr, following the task force meeting. “We have gotten rid of the smaller trucks, by requiring all trucks to be at least the size of a Ford F-250 or larger and we have raised the prices we pay for those services, to encourage some plowers who had left, to come back to the city.”

The new vehicle and equipment requirements and the new pay schedule for contract plowing have been posted and are being circulated to interested plow companies through the Public Works department.

According to Cyr, a big portion of the city’s annual budget for contract plow trucks has been used in the past to pay some of the smaller pick-up trucks that have been used. However, by eliminating those smaller trucks from the pay schedule, the city will have more money available to pay to the larger trucks and has also created the flexibility to increase the pay rates to those larger trucks.

“Some of the larger trucks had stopped working in Lynn, because other cities and towns could pay more, the new pay rates should help lure those vendors back to the city and we can do it without having to increase the budget for contractors,” explained Cyr. “The larger trucks will also help us to clear the streets more quickly.”

In addition to the changes to the pay schedule and requirements for contract plowing, the task force also publicly acknowledged the recent changes to the city’s snow parking regulations, which were proposed and adopted by the city’s Traffic Commission in July.

Following a public hearing on the snow parking fines, the Traffic Commission approved an increase in the fines for Impeding Snow Removal, from $30 to $100 and for Parking During a Snow Emergency from $50 to $150.

According to Cyr, those fines and towing of residential vehicles during snow emergencies will take effect this winter season and the Task Force plans to be consistent in its enforcement of those updated parking ordinances.

“The city may be a little bit lenient with the first storm, but we will be out enforcing and reminding people that they have to move their vehicles,” he said. “If they can’t get their act together by the second or third storm, we will be towing.”

Cyr also commented on the amount of cross-departmental cooperation that has taken place during the Task Force meetings and in between.

“We have 12 or 13 different departments working on these issues together, all the way from the Mayor’s office to parking, police, public works, the fire department and on and on,” said Cyr. “It has been a real team effort.”

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