Montville Public Works Crews at Work Since Friday

Montville Patch reached out to the very busy Public Works Director, Donald W. Bourdeau, Jr., to find out how we're doing!

“All our roads are open. Today, we’re clearing up, widening some roads. What people don’t understand maybe is that first we need initially to just open up the road with a lane – we need to make sure our waterways are clear, clear near catch basins. We get all roads open and then we have to go back and widen, clear up roads. This is a process. And then, we’ll be going back out with pay loaders to clear near intersections to help (provide) sightlines for cars,” Bourdea said.

Bourdeau, who has 12 trucks and 14 workers on the roads with nary a break save for about six hours Saturday night, said that in addition to working pretty much around the clock, equipment sometimes breaks down, especially when pushing tons of snow. He said they had a truck breakdown and a hydraulic issue with another.

“You have a 10-foot or 11-foot plow pushing all that snow, all that weight. It’s tough. And our guys aren’t looking to knock down mailboxes; we have to open these roads for public safety. We’re doing the best we can do.”

Bourdeau said that his crews have been "helping out" at Montville schools and that both Montville High School and Tyl Middle School lots have both been plowed. 

He said he does have a concern about children standing at bus stops.

"Absolutely for the kids safety and for car sightlines at intersections, so we'll be going back out for days and days with pay loaders to clear," he said. 

And Bourdeau said the while there’s enough in his budget to cover the costs of snow removal to date, we’re still only in February.

"Right now, we're only into February, but I feel comfortable, depending on what happens the rest of the winter," he said.

The good news?

The federal emergency designation by Pres. Obama this morning means there will be federal disaster funding for 75 percent of the cost of emergency protective measures incurred by the town for a 48-hour period.