Overview
- The City Council requested a formal report on the DPW’s response to the last storm, asking for details on pretreatment practices, plow start times, and staffing and equipment levels.
- Public works staff trained this week on a new salt-brine pretreatment system that officials say could be deployed before the upcoming storm.
- Worcester budgets about $6 million annually for snow operations and has added more than $1 million in recent years while offering higher pay and bonuses to attract contractors.
- Contractor availability has tightened as veteran operators retire and fewer workers take overnight shifts, with reported rates ranging from $115 to $185 per hour plus potential end-of-season bonuses.
- Residents renewed long-running complaints about slow clearing, including one who told councilors he has raised the issue for 21 years, as forecasts call for a foot or more of snow in parts of New England this weekend.