Selectmen amend snow removal bylaw
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Northborough - At the recommendation of Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Kara Buzanoski, the selectmen have amended a town bylaw regarding mailboxes damaged during snow removal.

At its Aug. 20 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to tweak town bylaw 9-64-050, chang- ing the town's responsibility for replacing residents' mailboxes damaged during snow removal to include mailboxes that are hit by a snowplow or by snow that is being removed.

Before the Aug. 20 amendment, only mailboxes damaged by being hit by a plow would be replaced by the town.

"We're trying to extend some goodwill," Buzanoski said. "What we've found is that 95 percent of the mailboxes that are damaged during snow removal are actually damaged by the snow coming off the plows, which is like wet cement."

Buzanoski said the procedure for replacing a mailbox damaged during snow removal won't change. When her department receives a call from a resident whose mailbox was damaged, a DPW crew is sent to the home to assess the situation and see if the mailbox can be re-set. If it can be re-set, it is. If it can't, the resident receives a check for $45 from the town - $15 for the cost of the mailbox, $30 for the cost of the post.

"We're not actually going to do the physical replacing of the mailbox," Buzanoski said. "The homeowner will have to do that. We're just going to pay the $45 for the purchase of a new mailbox. But first and foremost if it can be re-set, it'll be re-set. We're only going to pay for a replacement mailbox if we can't re-set the current one."

The cost of the reimbursement was also amended with the Aug. 20 vote by the selectmen. Previously the town would pay residents $15 for the mailbox and $15 for the post.

"We increased the amount for the posts after pricing them out and realizing that's the average price of a post," Buzanoski said.

Buzanoski said that last year mailbox replacement checks were sent out to "slightly less than 10 homeowners" and that DPW crews re-set about the same number. She said that even though it wasn't officially part of the town bylaw last year, some of the checks issued were for mailboxes damaged by thrown snow and not the plow.

"I just felt like it was the right thing to do," Buzanoski said, "and after talking with the members of my department and the crews, they thought it was the right move, too. That's why we asked for the bylaw to be revised."

Buzanoski said part of the issue is that many town residents don't realize that their mailbox is actually in the public way and not on their property.

"A lot of homeowners don't realize that their property line doesn't go right to the edge of the pavement," Buzanoski said. "But what also makes it hard is the fact that the postmaster is very particular about exactly where he wants the mailbox placed to help with mail delivery."

In other DPW news, Bu- zanoski informed the board that the street signs that are being replaced in town are available for purchase by anyone on a first-come, first-served basis for $10 each. For more information about purchasing one of the old street signs, contact the DPW office at 508-393-5030.

Buzanoski said her department has already received about five calls inquiring about buying the old street signs.