By Genevieve Jinson, Community Reporter
Northborough – The Board of Selectmen approved $70,000 in deficit spending to cover the costs of snow and ice removal required after the Feb. 8-9 blizzard at its Feb. 11 meeting.? The post-storm cleanup cost the town approximately $72,000 in total, officials said.
Daniel Nason, the director of Department of Public Works (DPW), said that the costs were close to what he and Town Administrator John Coderre, had estimated prior to the storm.
“We were pretty on target,” Nason said.
According to the National Weather Service, Northborough had a record 29.5 inches of snow fall during the blizzard. The town's DPW, police and fire departments worked over 48 hours non-stop to remove snow from 90 miles of roads and 13 miles of sidewalks in town, officials said.
Nason said that his department had minimal calls and minimal complaints. As of the Feb. 11 meeting, his staff was still completing snow removal from sidewalks in town.
“I’m very proud of the staff and the way they handled this event,” Nason said. He added that ?Northborough's streets were in much better shape than surrounding towns.
Board of Selectmen Chair Bill Pantazis agreed with Nason. He added that he drives through nearly 15 towns for work and Northborough was, in terms of snow and ice removal on roads, “the best town, out of all them.”
“I’m very proud of the DPW, police and fire in this event,” Pantazis said.
Selectman Jeff Amberson noted that National Grid had performed tree trimming last summer throughout the town. As Northborough did not lose power during the blizzards, “the ends justified the means,” he added.
Deficit spending requires approval from both the town's appropriations committee and the Board of Selectmen. The committee voted at the Feb. 7 meeting to allow deficit spending for snow and ice removal. The $70,000 in deficit spending will be taken out of the town's reserve account for fiscal year 2013.