Peabody Pothole Hot Line patching over problems

PEABODY – Who can you call when there’s a gaping hole in the middle of the road? Peabody’s Pothole Hot Line, that’s who.Set up about 10 years ago, the hot line takes complaints and requests from city residents regarding a variety of street repairs. More often than not, however, calls pertain to rising sidewalks and potholes that pose a safety hazard for the general public.Alice Noble of the Public Works Department is the woman in charge of handling the requests and has been since before the hot line was coined as such.”We’ve certainly received more calls than other winters,” Noble said, explaining that this year’s snowfall has greatly increased the number of potholes popping up throughout the city. “It all depends on the weather.”Noble said between plows tearing up pavement and potholes deteriorating city streets, the winter season is the busiest for public workers. But, despite their busy schedule, she said most requests are answered in a timely fashion.”We usually fill them within a week or even a couple of days,” she said. “Again, it all depends on the weather. It’s hard to fill in potholes in the rain.”Calls that suggest an immediate safety issue get bumped to the top of their work order list. If the site can’t be fixed, a construction barrel or cone is placed at the location to warn passersby of the danger in the meantime.”We try to take every precaution possible,” said Kevin Kelly, general foreman of the city’s Street and Sewers Department.Kelly said there are currently about 20 outstanding work orders for potholes. His crew of two men work all day each day filling in the dreaded holes, but their long trip to Watertown for hot top makes it difficult.”We don’t have time to go back for a second trip,” he said.The city is in the works of organizing their efforts with another hot top company in Wilmington, which will allow for quicker access, and hence, quicker, more efficient repairs, said Kelly.If residents happen to know of a particular location that needs to be tended to, Jones welcomes them to call the hotline at 978-536-7119.