A snowy, cold winter is wearing on the town crew and the town’s reserves of sand and salt.
“The road crew was out every single day last weekend rather than having a three-day holiday,” First Selectman Henry Tirrell reported. “Now we are gearing up for a big storm Sunday and Monday. Right now, the weather reports are calling for 12 to 18 inches of snow.”
The road crews have been out almost continuously to maintain roads as a series of small storms have passed through and the town has been conserving its salt. Some towns in the state are reporting shortages and delays in getting new shipments. Bigger towns like North Haven are laying in extra supplies, a practice that led to a significant shortage in Norfolk last February.
Even residents and private contractors could find it difficult to purchase salt for drives and walks. At least one store in the region has been told it cannot reorder regular salt until February (salt that is safe for pets is available).
“We’ve heard about it, and that is another reason to conserve,” Tirrell said. “We’ve been cutting our salt with sand when feasible. We do have salt at the garage, and we’re anticipating that the big storm this weekend won’t require a lot of material.”
He explained that the rapid snow accumulation expected with the coming storm will not require plowing until it is over and then salt will be applied to prevent freezing.
He is doing what he can to allow the crew to rest despite storms arriving back-to-back. “Of course they’re paid for the hours, but they also have to be safe,” he observed.
The best solution this weekend is for everyone to stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary, Tirrell pointed out, “It helps everything if people will stay off the roads.”