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Ellie and Emmett Muñoz uses their snow shoes to climb the snowbank in front of their Swampscott home following the heavy snowfall on Monday. (Spenser Hasak) Purchase this photo

Region buried under a foot of snow

Sophia Harris, Elizabeth Della Piana, Spenser Hasak, Briana Alvarez, Dylan Pichnarcik, Deyscha Smith and Zach Laird

by , , , , , ,

As the snow fell across the region and into Monday, local residents shoveled, sledded, and shivered their way through the day.

LYNN

Snow is still falling and is expected to continue until Monday evening as City crews work around the clock to keep streets clear and safe.

City officials announced that the parking ban will remain in effect through Monday and will be lifted Tuesday at 6 a.m. Residents are asked to keep cars off the streets so plows can continue doing their job.

“Everybody’s been doing a great job. Residents by large are doing a great job with that, and it’s been allowing the operations to continue,” Jon Thibault, Chief of Staff in the mayor’s office, said.

City Hall, the Lynn Senior Center, and the Lynn Public Library will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Lynn Public Schools will be closed, and all after-school programs are cancelled.

Trash and recycling will still happen on Tuesday, with collections delayed one day for the rest of the week.

If your car was towed, it can be found at 389 Blossom St. (Lynn Ferry Terminal site).

Despite the harsh snow, residents are pitching in.

“It is what it is,” said Pete Wishneusky while shoveling outside of his home. “No one’s gonna move it, so we have to move it ourselves.”

LYNNFIELD

In Lynnfield, the town received around 20 inches from Sunday evening to midday Saturday, according to Town Administrator Rob Dolan. Lynnfield is expected to receive another 3 to 5 inches Monday night.

Dolan said a major setback of the storm was a pipe bursting at the Lynnfield Middle School, which caused flooding in classrooms.

He said this caused five or six of the Town’s plow operators to be off the roads to service the burst pipe.

Dolan said he will be meeting with officials to determine if schools will remain closed on Tuesday as plowing efforts continue in town.

“The roads are passable. Obviously, we’d love people to stay inside and let everyone just do their work,” he said.

Dolan added, “The one thing I always get nervous about is when kids go out sledding. They go out to play, and the plow drivers who have been working out for 40 hours can’t see them, and we have a tragedy.”

Dolan said that, before the storm, he worked to ensure the Town had the proper number of contractors to service the roads in Lynnfield, given the small size of the Town’s Department of Public Works.

MARBLEHEAD

While some see a problem with this weekend’s snowstorm, others see an opportunity. In Marblehead, 15-year-old Will Puleo has made snow his business.

Having shovelled out six houses before 11 a.m. Monday morning, using only a shovel, his plan is to save up for a truck when he gets his license.

Rather than waiting for customers to come to him, Puleo takes a proactive approach to running his business.

“I would prepare by just going around so I could save some time instead of knocking,” he explained. “I make a route of all the houses so I can knock them out really quick.”

That efficiency allows him to help more neighbors in less time — an approach that has paid off.

For snow removal, he currently relies on basic tools.

“Just a shovel for now,” he said, “but I’m hoping to upgrade.”

Despite the modest equipment, his determination and organization have helped him build a steady stream of work.

His younger brother, Westley, also helps out when the job calls for an extra hand.

During the warmer months, Puleo’s services expand beyond snow shoveling.

“Typically, we can do any odd jobs you request, but we mainly do yard work,” he said.

His specialties include “lawn mowing, mulching, and fall and spring cleanups,” making his business a year-round resource for local homeowners.

Puleo mainly operates in Swampscott, where his father lives, but he also serves Marblehead.

“That’s where I’m mainly doing business,” he said, “but I’m also in Marblehead with my mom.”

Being connected to both communities has helped him grow his customer base.

All the effort has been worth it. When asked if the work pays off, Puleo didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, I’d say I’m making pretty good money,” he said.

Instead of spending it right away, he has a clear goal in mind: “I’m saving up for a truck so I can get around easier.”

And when grass starts to grow in Swampscott and Marblehead, chances are Puleo is already planning his next route.

Call Puleo at Will’s Landscaping Services at 781-248-9637 before the next nor’easter.

NAHANT

It remains unclear exactly how much snow Nahant has gotten, according to the DPW, but weather reports suggest up to a foot of snow has fallen in the past 24 hours.

Nahant resident Robert Inglis was spotted outside of his home, digging out his front porch.

“I don’t mind, you know, getting a little exercise anyway,” he said. “We haven’t gotten a real big one in a while.”

The snow parking ban, which went into effect on Sunday, will end Monday at 9 p.m. For non-emergency issues, contact the Nahant Police at 781-581-1212.

PEABODY

It is unclear how much snow fell in Peabody during the snowstorm this weekend; however, Director of Public Services and City Engineer William Paulitz said he anticipates it being near 18 inches.

To combat the heavy snowfall, he said crews at the DPS ensured all equipment was in working order before the start of the storm. And on Sunday around 11 a.m., DPS began pre-treating city roads and subsequently began plowing later in the day, which continued throughout the night.

Roadwork has continued into the day on Monday to ensure roads are wide enough and clear.

Peabody is expected to receive another 3 to 6 inches, according to Paulitz

As snow continued to fall on his recently snowblowed property, Rob DeSantis, a resident of Ellsworth Road, said, “I just moved back here seven months ago from Arizona. What was I thinking?”

He added that this was his first and only time snow blowing this season: “One and done.”

SAUGUS

According to Saugus Department of Public Works Director Brendan O’Regan, Saugus received around 17 to 18 inches of snow so far, but there were areas that received more than 2 feet.

“Compared to recent years, this is very significant,” O’Regan said. “Last year, we had about 26 or 27 inches, so this storm alone was all the snow we got last year.”

He noted that the town was most likely 10 inches above the average.

O’Regan continued that DPW crews got to work at around 10 a.m. Sunday to pre-salt the roads, plowing began at 2 p.m., and the department also checked on parked cars.

“We did call a parking ban for noon yesterday. So we went out to salt, and if we saw a car parked on the side of the road, we were contacting the police department so they could have some advanced warning on where the cars were parked so they could get them moved,” he said.

O’Regan said that the parking was a bit of a challenge, as there was a decent number of cars still parked on the roads.

“We did end up towing a decent amount of cars. The police department would have the exact number, but I believe there were over 100 cars towed,” he said. “During a snow emergency, people can’t park on the side of the road; you have to be off the road.”

O’Regan expects things to be cleared up by Tuesday morning, as a few more inches are still expected to fall. He added that the main roads were safe to drive on.

“If you needed to go out and do something, or if you needed to get to a hospital, you could get there right now. You’d have to drive very carefully, and a little under the speed limit, as it is slippery,” he said.

SWAMPSCOTT

Director of the Department of Public Works Gino Cresta said the town received close to 20 inches of snow throughout the weekend. He added that he feels the snowstorm is atypical for this year, explaining that for the last several years, Swampscott hasn’t seen this much accumulation of snow.

“We’ve been out since 11 a.m. on Saturday; that’s when I called everyone in. We have 13 routes in town, and altogether we have 26 pieces of equipment on the roads,” Cresta said. “It was a relatively easy storm to plow because the snow was so light.”

He continued, “The roads will be cleared before we leave tonight (Monday); we’ll stick around and salt everything… Sidewalks might not get done until tomorrow.”

While the snow continued to pile up, some decided to make the most of it.

Ellie and Emmett Muñoz explained that they were braving the cold to go sledding by their neighbor’s house. They added that they were excited when they woke up to see all the snow.

“This feels like the biggest snow that we’ve had, maybe since we moved out here in the summer of 2015… I love it. It’s amazing, and the kids will have a great day,” their mother, Sierra Muñoz, said.

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