Photos by Frank Santangelo 

By William Tauro

. 

SOMERVILLE – In accordance with the City’s Snow Emergency Procedures, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone had declared a snow emergency for the City of Somerville that went into effect at 7 p.m on Sunday, March 20th, the first day of spring.

All cars had to be moved by 11 p.m. to avoid ticketing and towing. Somerville Public Schools were closed on Monday

During the snow emergency, parking was allowed on the odd-numbered side of the street only (unless otherwise posted). Residents that were unable to find a parking space on the odd-numbered side of the street were allowed to park in any municipal or school parking lot for the duration of the emergency. However, because there was no parking enforcement on Sundays, residents were allowed park in these lots effectively immediately. .City Hall was open normal hours for the duration on the storm.

But on the bright side, trash and recycling pickup took place on the normal schedule. Afternoon recreation activities took place as scheduled and libraries were open.

Residents and property owners were also reminded that they were responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property within 6 daylight hours of the end of snowfall, which actually melted away hours after the storm on its own. 

Residents were also encouraged to sign up for the City’s alert system to receive emergency and community alert notification by phone, email and/or text message. Residents could sign up for alerts by visitinghttp://www.somervillema.gov/alerts or by calling 311 (617-666-3311 from outside the City). 

Parking Regulations During a Snow Emergency: 

Once the snow emergency was declared, vehicle owners had four hours (unless otherwise noted) from the start of the emergency to move their vehicles to the odd-numbered side of the street (unless otherwise posted), or they would of been be ticketed and towed. Municipal and school lots were made available at no cost to residents during snow emergencies. It was important that vehicles only be parked on one side of the street as noted above to ensure plows could make all roads accessible and safe, particularly for emergency vehicles.

A snow emergency may be declared whenever four or more inches of snow are predicted. City officials closely monitor storm forecasts and use all available information to make an informed decision. Once a snow emergency has been declared, residents are notified via multiple lines of communication, including:

Citywide alerts;

City Cable TV (Channel 22 for Comcast customers, Channel 13 for RCN customers) and Educational TV (Channel 15);

Local TV, radio and print media;

Postings on City social media feeds, including:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SomervilleCity;http://www.facebook.com/311Somerville

Twitter: @SomervilleCity; @311Somerville

City website: http://www.somervillema.gov

Flashing blue lights activated at 22 key intersections in the City (when lights are flashing, a snow emergency is in effect).

 

But with all that said and done, all we can do now is embrace spring and all the goodness that comes with it and enjoy!