At the height of the snow storm late Saturday, Tisbury Department of Public Works officials said they planned a full scale effort to clear downtown Vineyard Haven streets of snow through the duration of the storm. On Sunday morning, it appeared that they had done just that.
Main Street was clear to the pavement, as were a number of important secondary roads that included Franklin Street. The Stop & Shop parking lot was clear of snow and Five Corners was relatively clear sailing.
Late Saturday, Tom Mello, DPW director told The Times the department would focus on Main Street and work outward.
About 9 am, Sunday morning, Bob Blanchard, DPW foreman sat in a sander truck at the foot of Main Street surveying the scene. Mr. Blanchard said the department and subcontractors had been at work throughout the night working to clear roads of snow. With the snow removed the next step would be to sand and salt the roads.
“Main street’s going to be a work in progress,” Mr. Blanchard said. “We’re about an hour away from finishing up.”
Mr. Blanchard said the snow removal effort involved a crew of nine DPW employees and 12 subcontractors working around the clock. “The crews did a remarkable job,” Mr. Blanchard said as a front-end loader chipped away at a pile of snow on the corner of Main Street and State Road.
Tisbury Fire Chief John Schilling said that from his perspective, “Things went great.”
Mr. Schilling said the department was open all night and responded to several calls but nothing of a serious nature. He said the DPW sent a front-end loader to the station periodically through the night to make sure the fire house was clear. “Things were very well coordinated and very well organized,” Mr. Schilling said of the DPW response.
That was not the case last year when Chief Schilling and other town officials were highly critical of the snow removal effort. Mr. Schilling said the contrast with last January “was significant.”
What a difference a year makes
The massive weekend storm was the DPW’s first test following last winter when the department faced sharp criticism for its snow-removal efforts. Lingering squabbles and the snow removal uproar prompted selectmen to file legislation to bring the department, then under the direction of an independent elected board, under its control.
On January 27, 2015, a blizzard that dropped more than two feet of snow on Martha’s Vineyard also dumped a truckload of complaints about snow removal on Tisbury town officials — complaints unusual in their number and in their vehemence.
Tisbury selectmen and department of public works commissioners were inundated with a storm of criticism about the way the town cleared, or didn’t clear, the snow; about how town officials communicated, or didn’t communicate, with residents; and about the lack of a plan or priorities, including keeping main roads and emergency facilities clear for first responders.
While many people were willing to forgive the DPW for its response during the fierce snowstorm, others were unhappy that streets were all but impassable long after the snow stopped falling and parking and driving bans were lifted.
Two days after the storm, on Jan. 29, emergency dispatchers broadcast an advisory, warning emergency vehicles to avoid Main Street in Tisbury. A mound of snow three feet high divided Main Street into two narrow, slush-filled lanes.
One year later, on Sunday morning, Main Street was clear of snow.