Businesses second-guess city on snow decisions

LYNN – Staggering start times for snow emergencies is one of the lessons business owners said city officials can take to heart from winter 2015.Salvy the Florist’s Anthony Migliaccio said his customers worried about getting towed on Valentine’s Day even as they shopped for flowers. The Western Avenue store manager said he “was really surprised by the timing” of a 3 p.m. snow emergency parking ban.”I would hope there would be more consideration,” he told city representatives and fellow Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce members on Wednesday.With $2.6 million spent to date by the city to remove 9 feet of snow that mostly fell in February, city officials said they did what they could to keep local streets safe while considering residents’ and business owners and workers’ transportation needs.But chamber members suggested some changes in strategy for battling winter in 2016, such as implementing different parking ban start times in different parts of the city. Chamber President Leslie Gould said other communities implemented a Valentine’s Day parking ban late Saturday evening instead of in the afternoon.City Assistant Parking Director Robert Stilian said tow truck drivers are in a race against time when they are called out to tow cars after parking bans are announced. If the ban is too late, drivers are hauling away vehicles on hilly streets that can turn slippery and dangerous after even a moderate snowfall.”Once the weight of a car gets added onto a tow truck, you will see trucks sliding sideways down snowy streets,” warned Stilian.John’s Roast Beef owner and chamber executive board chairman Taso Nikolakopoulos said bus route alterations and school schedule changes might help avoid the traffic jams that occurred on local streets narrowed by February snowfalls.He said local officials also need to push state counterparts to play a bigger role in clearing local streets.But Public Works Commissioner Andrew Hall said the snowfall amount and the lack of melting periods between snowstorms pushed his crews into uncharted snow removal territory.”The challenges present this year weren’t there before,” Hall said.He said per hour pay rates for contractors hired to help city crews plow snow are under review. The rates range from $64 to $90, depending on truck size, and Hall said truck rates may need to be increased to ensure the city has heavy contract vehicles to battle major snowfalls.He said high-tech snow-fighting equipment, including ice melters, are probably not feasible city acquisitions because of their high fuel demands.