Town Officials Praised for Winter of 2015 Response

The fact that Mayor Joseph Sullivan and the Braintree Town Council were talking about snow in the middle of June is likely a testament to the winter that slammed Braintree and the rest of the area.

Calling the effort town of snow removal crew, the highway department, and department of public works intense and heroic, Sullivan praised the workers during a discussion on perhaps the worst winter in memory.

“I think for the most part I would give the effort an A and I would give us a significant passing grade in terms of the work we were able to do,” Sullivan said.

One of the good notes to come from the discussion was the fact that the town has paid all the bills related to snow removal and will not require deficit spending. It is a position very few towns find themselves in according to Sullivan.

Town councilors complimented the work of local officials, nothing that most of their requests from constituents were handled quickly, with clear communication between the councilors and the mayor’s office.

“Was everyone happy? No, you can’t make everyone happy but no one was knocking the door down,” Councilor Stephen O’Brien said.

Some of the more hilly and narrow streets around town such as Colby Road did give crews some trouble, with Sullivan noting that there were only three days in February where the temperature was over 32 degrees, leaving an unprecedented amount of snow and ice on the roads.

Councilor Shannon Hume added that the concerns from her district were addressed quickly, calling the response from the town fabulous.

“If you went to the other towns, their streets weren’t even close to ours,” she said.

While very few will want to look ahead to the 2015-16 winter season, the snow and ice removal budget for fiscal year 2016 is $450,000, the most in town history. According to Sullivan, general preparation for next winter will start after Labor Day.