TOWN OF WILBRAHAM
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
HIGHWAY DIVISION SNOW PLOWING POLICY
The Highway Department, a division of the Wilbraham Department of Public Works, is responsible for snow and ice removal on Wilbraham public roads. The following is a summary of Highway response to snow and ice conditions.
SEASONAL PREPARATION
Prior to any winter storm event, all vehicles and apparatus equipment are inspected and made ready for service. All vehicles are fueled and salt is stored with enough in supply to cover the entire town through at least one storm event. The person assigned to each route will drive that route and make note of all damaged or unsecured mail boxes and the placement of basketball hoops and sprinkler heads on Town property. No repairs will be made by the Town to any of the above on this list. If a basketball hoop or other recreational device is located in a way that will impede snow removal, or damage our equipment, it will be removed without notice.
PROCEDURE
All main arterial streets and cross town connectors, as well as those roads with documented high volume traffic, will be maintained continuously throughout a storm event. All secondary roads will be cleared as their snow accumulation approaches 3” or when topography, physical conditions, ice or other safety concerns require immediate attention as determined by the Highway Superintendent. Selective use of chemically formulated products is indicated when road temperatures fall below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and will allow for a more effective treatment. Cautious use of a liquid product preserves the roadways and allows for a cost-effective alternative in colder weather.
Public safety is the number one objective and will supercede all other issues.
Twenty (20) D.P.W. personnel are certified to plow and treat 240 lane miles of roadway creating a total of 11 organized routes. A snowplow route is assigned to each employee, and each route must be completed before an employee will be reassigned to assist on other routes. Snow plowing detail may be divided into shifts if the storm event is expected to last several days.
It can be anticipated that at least one piece of equipment will need to be taken out of service during a storm event for repair or maintenance. As breakdowns occur, plow routes will be altered slightly with a minimum of service disruption.
All private way roads will be plowed last, providing that there are two or more homes on the private way, in order to allow for the safe passage of emergency vehicles and equipment should they be needed. If it is determined by the Highway Department that the icy condition needs to be taken care of, it will be done only during normal working hours. [See Section 631 of the Town By-Law]
Private Ways By-Law.
During heavy storms, the DRC (Dump) may not be open. The personnel and equipment at the DRC will be plowing roads. If the posted schedule of DRC operations is to change during snow events, notice will be posted on Public TV.
Any outside contractor hired by a resident for private property snow removal will not be permitted to place any snow in the roadway. The homeowner will be held responsible for any private contractor negligence, and the contractor will be reported to the police if the snow is left in the roadway.
Homeowners will be cited and fined for placing snow from their property on public ways.
RESIDENT COOPERATION
Please be reminded for public safety purposes that highway personnel are out on the roadways during extreme road and weather conditions, and resident cooperation is sincerely appreciated at this time. Please don’t travel the roadways during heaviest cleanup efforts if at all possible, and adhere to Town enforced parking restrictions. (Please see attached: Town By-Law Section 706 – parking restrictions, Section 701 b. - prohibited parking during snow emergencies, and Section 611 – sidewalk snow). Any vehicle left on the roadway during removal operations seriously impedes plowing and sanding and will be reported to the Police Department.
The Town will only plow sidewalks abutting main roads which are used by children going to schools. Sidewalks other than those listed are the responsibility of the homeowner.
SIDEWALKS THAT WILL BE PLOWED:
Main Street from Fox Hill to Soule Road
Soule Road from Loring to Deepwood;
Tinkham Road from Main to Rochford; and
Stony Hill Road from the grammar school to Dipping Hole Road
** Note: Springfield/Faculty Streets (The Loop) will be plowed by the Academy.
Sidewalks will be plowed within 72 hours.
As a safety precaution, residents are asked not to follow Town trucks any closer than 300 feet.
In order to comply with Stormwater Phase II Federal Rules and Regulations, we will no longer be using sand. The Town is no longer allowed to provide sand at the landfill.
Highway Department personnel will not argue over the ownership of fallen snow after it falls onto the roadway. Snow will be removed or plowed onto private property if it is necessary for Public Safety.
Highway Department personnel will never be dispatched to salt or plow private residence property, or shovel/plow out around resident mailboxes. Residents are expected to maintain post and mailboxes to withstand New England winter weather and should repair/replace as needed. The Town will repair/replace any mailbox damaged inadvertently by Town personnel.
It is expected that all fire hydrants located near a person’s property be shoveled out by the resident after a snow event. It should be further understood that the Town is not responsible for privately owned irrigation sprinkler heads located within the Town’s right of way.
New Parking Regulations that were adopted at Town Meeting will be strictly enforced in order that we can plow and make safe roadways more efficiently.
RESIDENTS REPORTING STORM- RELATED PROBLEMS AND EMERGENCIES
Highway personnel are unavailable to receive telephone calls during a storm event because all available personnel are clearing roadways. Requests or complaints can be directed to the department’s business office during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 596-2807.
Emergency calls will be responded to immediately as they are received from residents or Town personnel. Residents who are in trouble can call Central Dispatch personnel in the Wilbraham Police Department at 596-3837. Highway personnel and/or emergency services will be dispatched to the emergency location
Damage to resident vehicles or property caused by Town equipment during a winter storm event should be reported directly to the Selectmen’s Office during regular business hours. The Town will request that the resident provide his concern in writing, and the Town will file the claim according to the usual protocol with the Town’s insurance carrier.
SECTION 706 PARKING PROHIBITED (Reg., Art V, Sec. 1)(ATM, Art.24, 5-17-04) a) Violations -no person shall park a vehicle and/or trailer (hereinafter “vehicle”) or be the registered or unregistered owner of vehicle parked upon a street or highway or way as defined in M.G.L. C.90 s.1, as defined in section 700 of this general By-law, or in any of the following
places or in a manner in violation of the provisions of this section. Enforcement shall be pursuant to M.G.L. C.90 s.20A1/2, accepted by the Town of Wilbraham , Annual Town Meeting, 1988.
TOWN OF WILBRAHAM
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
HIGHWAY DIVISION
SNOW PLOWING POLICY
The Highway Department, a division of the Wilbraham Department of Public Works, is responsible for snow and ice removal on Wilbraham public roads. The following is a summary of Highway response to snow and ice conditions.
SEASONAL PREPARATION
Prior to any winter storm event, all vehicles and apparatus equipment are inspected and made ready for service. All vehicles are fueled and salt is stored with enough in supply to cover the entire town through at least one storm event. The person assigned to each route will drive that route and make note of all damaged or unsecured mail boxes and the placement of basketball hoops and sprinkler heads on Town property. No repairs will be made by the Town to any of the above on this list. If a basketball hoop or other recreational device is located in a way that will impede snow removal, or damage our equipment, it will be removed without notice.
PROCEDURE
All main arterial streets and cross town connectors, as well as those roads with documented high volume traffic, will be maintained continuously throughout a storm event. All secondary roads will be cleared as their snow accumulation approaches 3” or when topography, physical conditions, ice or other safety concerns require immediate attention as determined by the Highway Superintendent. Selective use of chemically formulated products is indicated when road temperatures fall below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and will allow for a more effective treatment. Cautious use of a liquid product preserves the roadways and allows for a cost-effective alternative in colder weather.
Public safety is the number one objective and will supercede all other issues.
Twenty (20) D.P.W. personnel are certified to plow and treat 240 lane miles of roadway creating a total of 11 organized routes. A snowplow route is assigned to each employee, and each route must be completed before an employee will be reassigned to assist on other routes. Snow plowing detail may be divided into shifts if the storm event is expected to last several days.
It can be anticipated that at least one piece of equipment will need to be taken out of service during a storm event for repair or maintenance. As breakdowns occur, plow routes will be altered slightly with a minimum of service disruption.
All private way roads will be plowed last, providing that there are two or more homes on the private way, in order to allow for the safe passage of emergency vehicles and equipment should they be needed. If it is determined by the Highway Department that the icy condition needs to be taken care of, it will be done only during normal working hours. [See Section 631 of the Town By-Law]
Private Ways By-Law.
During heavy storms, the DRC (Dump) may not be open. The personnel and equipment at the DRC will be plowing roads. If the posted schedule of DRC operations is to change during snow events, notice will be posted on Public TV.
Any outside contractor hired by a resident for private property snow removal will not be permitted to place any snow in the roadway. The homeowner will be held responsible for any private contractor negligence, and the contractor will be reported to the police if the snow is left in the roadway.
Homeowners will be cited and fined for placing snow from their property on public ways.
RESIDENT COOPERATION Please be reminded for public safety purposes that highway personnel are out on the roadways during extreme road and weather conditions, and resident cooperation is sincerely appreciated at this time. Please don’t travel the roadways during heaviest cleanup efforts if at all possible, and adhere to Town enforced parking restrictions. (Please see attached: Town By-Law Section 706 – parking restrictions, Section 701 b. - prohibited parking during snow emergencies, and Section 611 – sidewalk snow). Any vehicle left on the roadway during removal operations seriously
impedes plowing and sanding and will be reported to the Police Department.
The Town will only plow sidewalks abutting main roads which are used by children going to schools. Sidewalks other than those listed are the responsibility of the homeowner.
SIDEWALKS THAT WILL BE PLOWED:
Main Street from Fox Hill to Soule Road
Soule Road from Loring to Deepwood;
Tinkham Road from Main to Rochford; and
Stony Hill Road from the grammar school to Dipping Hole Road
** Note: Springfield/Faculty Streets (The Loop) will be plowed by the Academy.
Sidewalks will be plowed within 72 hours.
As a safety precaution, residents are asked not to follow Town trucks any closer than 300 feet.
In order to comply with Stormwater Phase II Federal Rules and Regulations, we will no longer be using sand. The Town is no longer allowed to provide sand at the landfill.
Highway Department personnel will not argue over the ownership of fallen snow after it falls onto the roadway. Snow will be removed or plowed onto private property if it is necessary for Public Safety.
Highway Department personnel will never be dispatched to salt or plow private residence property, or shovel/plow out around resident mailboxes. Residents are expected to maintain post and mailboxes to withstand New England winter weather and should repair/replace as needed. The Town will repair/replace any mailbox damaged inadvertently by Town personnel.
It is expected that all fire hydrants located near a person’s property be shoveled out by the resident after a snow event. It should be further understood that the Town is not responsible for privately owned irrigation sprinkler heads located within the Town’s right of way.
New Parking Regulations that were adopted at Town Meeting will be strictly enforced in order that we can plow and make safe roadways more efficiently.
RESIDENTS REPORTING STORM- RELATED PROBLEMS AND EMERGENCIES
Highway personnel are unavailable to receive telephone calls during a storm event because all available personnel are clearing roadways. Requests or complaints can be directed to the department’s business office during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 596-2807.
Emergency calls will be responded to immediately as they are received from residents or Town personnel. Residents who are in trouble can call Central Dispatch personnel in the Wilbraham Police Department at 596-3837. Highway personnel and/or emergency services will be dispatched to the emergency location.
Damage to resident vehicles or property caused by Town equipment during a winter storm event should be reported directly to the Selectmen’s Office during regular business hours. The Town will request that the resident provide his concern in writing, and the Town will file the claim according to the usual protocol with the Town’s insurance carrier.
SECTION 706 PARKING PROHIBITED (Reg., Art V, Sec. 1)(ATM, Art.24, 5-17-04)
a) Violations -no person shall park a vehicle and/or trailer (hereinafter “vehicle”) or be the registered or unregistered owner of vehicle parked upon a street or highway or way as defined in M.G.L. C.90 s.1, as defined in section 700 of this general By-law, or in any of the following places or in a manner in violation of the provisions of this section. Enforcement shall be pursuant to M.G.L. C.90 s.20A1/2, accepted by the Town of Wilbraham , Annual Town Meeting, 1988.
1) Within a designated no parking zone
2) Within a designated no passing zone
3) So as to obstruct snow or ice removal
4) So as to obstruct a sidewalk
5) So as to obstruct a driveway or private way
6) So as to obstruct a crosswalk
7) Over (1) foot from the curb or edge of the way
8) Within an intersection
9) Within (20) feet of an intersecting way
10) With the left wheels to the curb or edge of the way
11) Within (15) feet of a bus stop sign
12) So as to leave less than ten (10) feet wide unobstructed lane to the curb, edge or solid center line(s) of a street, highway or way
13) Which is unregistered on a street, highway or way
14) Within a restricted area during a winter parking ban
15) Within a restricted area during an emergency parking ban
16) Within any grassed, lawn, landscaped or maintained area on the grounds of any municipal or school building, park or playground, or other tree belt or landscaped buffer area
17) While displaying a temporary sign advertising the sale of the vehicle or any other service or product
18) An unattended or unattached trailer as defined by M.G.L. C.90 s.1
19) Within a fire lane
20) On any street, highway or way for a period of time longer than one (1) hour
between the hours of 1:00 am and 7:00 am of any day
21) On town property, except as a business or social invitee
22) On school district property without a current parking sticker or except as a business or social invitee
23) Impeding traffic within a school zone
24) Impeding traffic within a designated parade route
25) Within ten (10) feet of a fire hydrant
26) So as to obstruct or occupy a designated disabled veterans or handicap ramp, cross hatch area (as defined by M.G.L. C.40 s.22a and/or 521 CMR, as amended from time to time) or parking area without proper plate or permit
b) Exemptions. 1) Official Town, State, Federal, Diplomatic or Consular vehicles exempt from the application of Sec. (e 1), (e 2), (f 2), (f 3), (g 2) and (g 3) of this By-law while on official business or
otherwise within applicable immunities. See M.G.L. C.40 s.22d.
2) The Chief Of Police, his designee, or the board of selectmen may waive enforcement of this section on any street, highway, or way, place or violation as appropriate for cause, including without limitation, a bona fide emergency.
c) Fines. The following shall be the established schedule of fines for the above vehicle referenced parking offenses:
1) Pursuant to M.G.L. C.90 s.20 A1/2, the penalty for offenses in Subsections (a. 1 through 24) shall be a fine in the amount of fifteen dollars ($15) if paid within twenty one (21) days; the fine shall increase to twenty five ($25) dollars if paid thereafter. If not paid within sixty days (60) Registry of Motor Vehicles is notified and additional penalties will be added as prescribed by law.
2) Pursuant to MGL C90 S 20 A ½, the penalty for offense in Subsection (a. 25)(Fire Hydrant) shall be a fine in the amount of fifty dollars ($50) if paid within twenty one (21) days, the fine shall increase to sixty dollars ($60) if paid thereafter. If not paid within sixty days (60) Registry of Motor Vehicles is notified and additional penalties will be added as prescribed by law.
3) Pursuant to MGL C 40 S 22A the penalty for the offenses in Subsection (a. 26 ) (Disabled Veterans/Handicap Persons, etc.) shall be a fine in the amount of one hundred dollars $100 if paid within twenty-one (21) days; the fine shall increase to one hundred twenty five dollars ($125) if paid thereafter. Subsequent offenses shall be a fine in the amount of two hundred dollars ($ 200), if paid within twenty-one days (21); the fine shall increase to two hundred fifty dollars ($250) if paid thereafter. If not paid within sixty days (60) the Registry Of Motor Vehicles is notified and additional penalties will be added as prescribed by law.
d) Hearing. A hearing, with the parking clerk, may be obtained upon written request of the registered owner of the vehicle within twenty-one days (21) of the issue date of the violation(s), pursuant to M.G.L. C.90 s.20 A1/2.
e) Removal of vehicle parked in violation; fine 1) The Chief of Police or his designee may remove or cause to be removed any vehicle parked in violation of this section.
2) Any person whose vehicle is removed shall be subject to additional charge of twenty-five ($25) and is fully responsible for all charges and expenses incurred for removal and storage of such vehicle.
f) Winter parking ban; fine
1) The Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, or his designee may declare a limited parking ban on any street, highway or way within the town during the period beginning November 1 through April 30 for the purposes of snow and ice removal. The superintendent or his designee shall announce all such limited parking bans to the press prior to their enforcement.
2) The Superintendent of Public Works or his designee may remove or cause to be removed any vehicle parked in violation of the winter ban.
3) Any person whose vehicle is removed shall be subject to additional charge of twenty-five ($25) and is fully responsible for all charges and expenses incurred for removal and storage of such vehicle.
g) Emergency parking ban; fines
1) The Chief of Police or his designee may declare an emergency limited parking ban on any street, highway or way within the town during the period of any emergency. The Chief or his designee shall announce all such limited parking bans to the press if their duration shall exceed twenty-four (24) hours.
2) The Chief of Police or his designee may remove or cause to be removed any vehicle parked in violation of the emergency parking ban.
3) Any person whose vehicle is removed shall be subject to additional charge of twenty-five ($25) and is fully responsible for all charges and expenses incurred for removal and storage of such vehicle.
SECTION 611 SIDEWALK SNOW (Art. V, Sec. 17) Within twenty-four (24) hours after a snowfall, snow shall be removed from sidewalk(s) abutting street(s) by the tenant or occupant, and if no tenant or occupant, by the owner.
SECTION 701b TEMPORARY CLOSING OF STREETS
b.) The Board of Selectmen is hereby authorized to prohibit, temporarily, parking on any street or highway or part thereof in an impending or existing emergency, or for a lawful assemblage, demonstration or procession provided there is a reasonable justification for such prohibition. Vehicles parked in places where parking is prohibited temporarily may be moved by or under the direction of an officer. (Art. 2, Sec. 3)
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