Tri-Towns persevere through foot of snow

As Massachusetts’s biggest snowstorm in several years comes to an end, Tri-Town residents and employees are surviving the winter wonderland. 

Jody Dickerson, the Marion Department of Public Works director, said snow removal in town has been going well. 

He said the hardest part of clearing snow in Marion has been navigating some of the smaller streets. Dickerson said he was worried about emergency vehicles getting through these areas but the roads have now been well cleared. 

As of Monday, Jan. 26, Dickerson said Marion roads are safe to drive, andthe department will treat  roads with another layer of salt and sand in the evening.

He said the best part of clearing the roads is how grateful residents are when they see employees plowing.  

“It helps morale all around and [residents] are very appreciative of what the men and women do here at the DPW,” he said. 

Dickerson said people should take it slow with shoveling, especially those in the community who are older. 

“Just take your time shoveling in driveways,” he said. “We don’t want a medical emergency or anything like that. Just go slow.”

Gary Bauer, the highway surveyor for the Mattapoisett Highway Department, said the roads should be safe to drive by mid-Tuesday.

Bauer said he is proud of the diligent work he and his team have done for the past 24 hours. 

“We were able to keep up with the storm and treat the roads as needed,” Bauer said. 

He emphasized people should stay inside and off the roads while they continue to work. If they do drive, he asked people to make room for the plows. 

“If you see a plow driver with a plow coming down, please get out of the way,” he said. 

Jane Finnerty, of Mattapoisett, spent the weekend home and out of the storm. 

She enjoyed the Patriots game with friends on Sunday, and spent Monday morning watching her two dogs play in the snow. 

“It's a ball watching our black lab trying to catch snowflakes and our little doodle not being able to get anywhere because their legs aren't long enough,” Finnerty said. 

Because she lives on Molly’s Cove, Finnerty said she is usually worried about the tides flooding the area. However, there was no flooding and she and her husband used their snowblower to clean up their and their neighbors' driveway.

“It was pretty much a quiet day with a fire going in front of the TV,” she said. 

Danny White, of Mattapoisett, said after the storm ended he spent time clearing the area around his house and helping his neighbors. 

He said after plows came through his neighborhood and snow drifted overnight, some of the snowbanks in the area were eye-level.

"That's kind of hard to shovel, trying to get through that to get to the other side," White said. "I think that people are doing the best they can. "