Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The numbers were a little on the high side, but not abnormally high, according to a city spokesperson.
About 200 of you may have woken up this morning to find six or seven inches of snow on the ground and that your car had been towed. That—200—is about how many cars were towed Monday night and early Tuesday morning due to the snow emergency in Somerville, according to Jackie Rossetti, a spokesperson for the city of Somerville. That number "might be slightly higher" than with most snow emergencies, but it's not "abnormal," Rossetti said. She said most snow emergencies lead to the city towing between 100 and 200 cars. "Our hope is not to tow that many," she said. When Somerville declares a snow emergency, as it did Monday night, residents have four hours to move their cars from even-numbered sides of the street to odd-numbered sides or into …
Monday, March 18, 2013
Public schools are canceled on Tuesday.
In anticipation of a mid-March winter snow storm expected to hit the Boston area Monday night and Tuesday morning, Somerville has declared a snow emergency that takes effect Monday at 6 p.m. Here's a refresher on snow emergency procedures in Somerville. In addition, Somerville public schools will be closed Tuesday, according to a constituent services alert sent Monday afternoon. Here's the full text of the alert: Hello, this is Jackie Rossetti from the City of Somerville with important snow emergency information for Monday, March 18th. Based on current weather forecasts, the City will be declaring a snow emergency, effective at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. School has been cancelled for Tuesday, March 19th. During snow emergencies, parking is …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Somerville could get anywhere from three to eight inches of snow, according to Thursday-morning forecasts.
Snowfall predictions for the current snow storm hitting Somerville have varied over the past 24 hours. At first forecasters said the area could receive four to eight inches of snow. Later on Wednesday, those predictions were downgraded to a few inches of wet snow, and some forecasters said Somerville would get mostly rain. Thursday morning, the picture has changed again, with expected snow totals rising again—something anyone in Somerville looking out the window could confirm. Here are the latest snowfall predictions from a handful of local forecasters: What's more, forecasters agree this storm will last through Thursday night and into Friday, so pay attention to possible school closures and traffic headaches on Friday.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Teens could receive a small stipend for shoveling.
After heavy snowfall throughout February, Somerville is expecting, well, more snow. All this snow is difficult for senior citizens to shovel, and the city is asking for volunteers to help their older neighbors. Also, if you're a senior who could use a little help shoveling—it's not worth throwing your back out to shovel a sidewalk when a local teen could possibly earn a small stipend to do it—let the city know. Below is information from the city: Are you looking for ways to help your neighbors this winter? Are you a Somerville senior citizen or a resident with disabilities who needs assistance with shoveling? The City of Somerville is seeking volunteers aged 18 and older to assist senior citizens and residents with disabilities with snow…
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Blogger Charlie Denison asks readers to take a survey about parking during the recent blizzard.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Five days after a blizzard hit Somerville, the Home of the Whopper still hadn't shoveled its sidewalk, and one alderman was livid.
Burger King, at 185 Somerville Ave., still hadn't shoveled its sidewalks five days after a blizzard dumped around 28 inches of snow on the city, according to Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston. Heuston was mad. Speaking at a Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday, she said, "If the average joe" can shovel his sidewalk, Burger King should be able to as well. "A large corporation like Burger King should be ashamed of itself," she said. The Ward 2 alderman said city officials have visited the Burger King and told them to shovel, to no avail. "I would ask people to boycott Burger King until they shovel their sidewalk," Heuston said. She also wants to send a letter to the CEO and regional managers of the fast food corporation. "I've had it …
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Burger King
185 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/alderman-boycott-burger-king-for-not-shoveling-sidewalk
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Thursday, February 14, 2013
We asked Somerville residents to grade the city's response to the weekend blizzard. The average grade was B.
On Wednesday we asked Somerville Patch readers to grade Somerville's snow response in the wake of an historic blizzard that dumped around 28 inches of snow on Somerville. The final grade: B. Clearly this isn't a scientific result. A number of people had great comments about the city's response to the storm—it's plowing, snow clearing, parking ban and school closures. In the end, 12 people, as of Wednesday evening, gave a concrete grade (A, B-, C+, etc.) I averaged the grades, and the result was 83.75 out of 100, which rounded up is 84, a B. (I describe the numberic grade range below). Interesingly, the breakdown of grades had most people giving the city something in the A range. Five people gave the city a grade in the A range, three gave …
Monday, February 11, 2013
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said crews worked all weekend to clear snow, but streets are still unsafe.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said it was a concern for pubic safely, particularly at intersections near schools, that prompted city officials to prolong a snow emergency that was originally supposed to end Monday at 6 p.m. Asked if clearing snow off city streets was taking longer than expected, Curtatone said, "It's a lot of snow." The mayor, speaking on the phone Monday afternoon, made reference to the large mounds of snow lining the city's roadways, often forcing residents to walk in the streets because sidewalks aren't clear. The situation, he said, is a "treacherous public safety challenge." The mayor commended the "hard work" of Department of Public Works employees and independent contractors who have been working to clear snow…
Somerville's snow emergency was originally scheduled to end Monday at 6 p.m.
Somerville's snow emergency, which includes a parking ban, will remain in effect until further notice, according to a constituent services alert from the city. In addition, Somerville's public schools will remain closed through Wednesday, according to a Tweet from the city of Somerville. The city's snow emergency was originally scheduled to end Monday at 6 p.m., but the city sent an alert at about 1:30 p.m. telling residents the snow emergency would, in fact, remain in effect until further notice. Here's the text of the alert: Hello, this is Jackie Rossetti from the City of Somerville with important snow emergency-related information for Monday, February 11th. Due to high snow accumulations and ongoing work to clear public streets and …
At least 28 inches of snow fell on Somerville, according to broadcast and National Weather Service reports.
On Monday morning, Somerville and the region were still dealing with the aftermath of a massive snow storm that battered the Boston area over the weekend. Somerville Public Schools were scheduled to be closed Monday, according to the school system's website, and a snow emergency in the city will be in effect until 6 p.m. Monday. City Hall was scheduled to be open Monday, and libraries should be open, according to a constituent services representative at Somerville's 311 system. According to initial reports from the National Weather Service and WHDH, at least 28 inches of snow fell on Somerville during the storm. Meanwhile, the MBTA's subway service was expected to be operating on a normal schedule Monday morning after crews spent most of …
mplo
9:57 am on Saturday, March 23, 2013
That's a good question, Elizabeth Rose, particularly given the weather and the slippery road conditions. However, given the rather disgusting track record of Pat's Towing, it's not surprising that they were driving around like lunatics trying to get as many cars towed as possible, and yet the streets have to be plowed in order to be passable. It's a double-edged sword here. more ›