First major storm of season blasts region

LYNN – “Snow to me is a four-letter word,” said Jay Fink, the man in charge of making sure an estimated foot of it gets cleared from local streets throughout Friday night and into this morning.That task was made a little easier by a parking ban, which restricted cars to parking lots, including designated school yards marked with yellow signs, the Market Street commuter garage and driveways. Drivers must remove vehicles from schoolyards by 6 a.m. today. Any cars that were not removed from the streets were towed to a yard at the end of Bennett Street near the River Works. Drivers should be prepared to pay cash to get their vehicle out of the yard and towing fees are set by the state.Fink, the city’s Public Works commissioner, commands an army of 225 to 250 plows and trucks, including 185 privately contracted trucks and number “247,” a 40-year-old, rust-tinged and scarred grader that Fink swears can plow through any drift.Pre-planning made Fink’s job easier with Gov. Deval Patrick’s decision to keep non-essential state employees out of work Friday and school officials’ decision to close schools.Fink estimated clearing local streets of snow and keeping them safe to drive will cost taxpayers about $150,000.Numerous spinouts brought travel to a crawl on most roadways late Friday afternoon well into the evening hours during the first significant snowfall of the season.Although the flakes will eventually stop falling, Fink will spend today watching forecasts for Sunday’s predicted storm.To view video associated with this story, visit www.itemlive.com