Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Saturday, March 5, 2011

It's Called Doing Ones Homework First

As of February 20, 2011 77.8 inches of snow had fallen on Worcester for the 2010 - 2011 season.


"When I initially supported the enforcement of this bylaw, I never imagined that we would have such an extraordinary amount of snow."
                                                                -- Selectman Scott Garieri at the             February 7 of Selectmen Meeting

It's Ok, It's New England, snow fall amounts are so hard to predict here.  ☃

A re-write of the snow removal bylaw is needed.  The snow is going to keep falling, and property owners are going to be stuck with the burden of removing the snow from the sidewalks. It is the job of the DPW no matter if there is a bylaw written to take that responsibility away from them due to funding.  The bylaw needs to be rewritten, or removed.  Shifting the burden from one party to the next does not make the situation go away

A Town Warrant Article to change the bylaw, or to obtain the funding would be the next step.

Oh, and the data below was "Googled" by me this morning in .83 seconds.  It was my homework.  



Year Jul    Aug Sep Oct  Nov Dec Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr May Jun Total

1954   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   1.0   6.2    T    4.0   8.0   2.0   0.0   0.0  21.2
1955   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   4.3   2.2  10.0  21.7  35.4  11.3   0.0   0.0  84.9
1956   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.2  18.2  21.7   6.2  11.3   8.0   0.0   0.0  65.6
1957   0.0   0.0   0.0    T     T    2.2  29.5  20.1  36.5   9.2    T    0.0  97.5
1958   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    1.4  10.2   8.9  11.3  32.9    T    0.0   0.0  64.7
1959   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.1   8.5  16.6  13.2  26.6   1.5   0.0   0.0  66.5
1960   0.0   0.0   0.0   3.6    T   20.8  32.4  20.4  17.6   9.5   0.0   0.0 104.3
1961   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.9   8.3  20.3   2.0  45.2   4.5   1.8    T    0.0  83.0
1962   0.0   0.0   0.0   4.7   3.6  18.1  11.7  22.2  15.3   0.1    T    0.0  75.7
1963   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.5    T   16.7  14.9  27.3   6.0   1.2   0.0   0.0  66.6
1964   0.0   0.0   0.0   2.1    T   11.7  18.7   5.9  17.7   6.7   0.0   0.0  62.8
1965   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    0.6   2.3  44.0  19.7   5.8   0.8    T    0.0  73.2
1966   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.7  13.6   2.5  35.5  34.6   7.3    T    0.0  94.2
1967   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   9.8  22.2  18.6   6.4   9.2    T    0.0   0.0  66.2
1968   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  15.3  12.2   1.8  39.5   6.9    T    0.0   0.0  75.7
1969   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    0.3  29.5   7.7  11.4  19.9   3.3    T    0.0  72.1
1970   0.0   0.0   0.0    T     T   32.1  16.6  11.4  12.1   7.8   0.0   0.0  80.0
1971   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  20.7   9.6   6.7  35.0  20.1   7.2   0.0   0.0  99.3
1972   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    6.1  13.8  17.9   5.8   0.4   0.4   0.0   0.0  44.4
1973   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    0.9  12.5  15.0   1.7   3.7   0.0   0.0  33.8
1974   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    1.2  13.1  22.6  21.9   4.9   1.4   0.0   0.0  65.1
1975   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    1.5  18.1  21.6   4.7  16.4    T     T    0.0  62.3
1976   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    3.0  13.5  21.7  13.8  21.5   1.0  12.7   0.0  87.2
1977   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   2.2  13.7  34.2  20.8  15.0    T     T    0.0  85.9
1978   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   5.4  13.1  16.0   6.5   1.3   5.4   0.0   0.0  47.7
1979   0.0   0.0   0.0   7.5   0.0   2.1   0.8   6.5   9.7    T    0.0   0.0  26.6
1980   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   9.0   6.8  12.5  11.4   3.3    T     T    0.0  43.0
1981   0.0   0.0   0.0    T     T   24.6  16.7   6.5  11.0  15.1   0.0   0.0  73.9
1982   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.5   6.4  18.6  32.1   3.5   2.3    T    0.0  63.4
1983   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    1.1  17.2  24.1   3.3  30.9    T     T    0.0  76.6
1984   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    7.0   9.7  11.0   7.2   4.9   0.0   0.0  39.8
1985   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   6.9   9.1   5.8  14.5   2.3   0.1   0.3   0.0  39.0
1986   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  11.5   4.9  46.8   3.0   6.4  21.0   0.0   0.0  93.6
1987   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  10.2  12.9  25.2  15.8   6.4   0.6   0.0   0.0  71.1
1988   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.4    T    5.0   2.8   7.7   8.5   3.7   0.0   0.0  28.1
1989   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   7.9  10.2  11.3  15.2   6.4   2.1   0.0    T   53.1
1990   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.7   5.0  11.3   9.1   9.3   0.2   0.0   0.0  35.6
1991   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   5.8  14.5   2.7   8.4  11.8   2.7   0.0   0.1  46.0
1992   0.0   0.0    T    0.0   1.9  37.0  14.6  19.7  44.1   2.8   0.0   0.0 120.1
1993   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    0.2  12.9  34.1  25.9  27.1   0.0    T    0.0 100.2
1994   0.0    T     T    0.0   2.9   3.2   4.5  14.3    T     T    0.0   0.0  24.9
1995   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  22.9  45.2  10.3   0.5  19.0   0.0   0.0  97.9
1996   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   1.0  28.2   6.4   7.6  20.3  24.0   0.0   0.0  87.5
1997   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   5.0  18.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  23.0
1998   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   4.6   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   4.6
1999   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0    T    0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.1   0.1
2000   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0    T     T   11.3  15.8  36.4   0.0   0.0   0.0  63.5
2001     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -
2002     -     -     -     -     -     -  22.0  38.9   8.3   5.1   0.0   0.0  74.3
2003   0.0   0.0   0.0   1.5   0.0  21.5  13.0   5.9   7.6   0.0   0.0   0.0  49.5
2004   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   3.0  11.9  50.9  23.9  24.6   0.0   0.0   0.0 114.3
2005   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   3.2  18.0  24.1  18.9   0.0   1.5   0.0   0.0  65.7
2006   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   1.1   3.9  20.8  20.8   2.5   0.0   0.0  49.1
2007   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.7  27.1  12.3  22.6   7.4   0.0   0.0   0.0  70.1
2008   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  31.4  24.7   7.7  13.1   0.0   0.0   0.0  76.9
2009   0.0   0.0   0.0   2.4   0.0  20.7  18.8  20.9   1.8   0.0   0.0   0.0  64.6
2010   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0  13.2  48.4     -     -     -     -     -  61.6



4 comments:

  1. Of course, the expected reply would be that it's unusual for so much snow to fall at one time, yadda, yadda. The thing is that when snow is plowed by the big old plows that do the main roads, they leave mounds that are very difficult if not impossible for most people to deal with. It's hard, enough on the back roads that have been plowed by pick-up trucks, for most able bodied folks to open up the end of their driveways. On the main streets the sidewalk areas become the equivalent of frozen concrete.
    Oh, and by the way, snow and ice slipping over the edges of slate roofs can be deadly.
    As they say, you just can't trust a book by it's cover.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Snowperson, againSaturday, March 05, 2011

    And you can't judge a book by it's cover, either!
    Pretty is as pretty does, and, well, you know... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Requiring people to remove snow from a sidewalk plowed on the sidewalk by the state plow trucks is ridiculous. This winter’s change in the law proved it. If the Highway department complained about clearing the sidewalk with all their equipment how could an average home owner be expected to do it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Exactly!! This is why a new Warrant Article needs to be written and submitted vote at the Town Meeting to remove the current bylaw, and to assign the business of clearing the sidewalks to the department that is there to do just that: the Department of PUBLIC WORKS! If a property owner clears the sidewalk, and a plow comes by and pushes snow back onto the just cleared walkway, then that's it! No more!!!

    ReplyDelete



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