Berlin Gets Plowing Help From Several Contractors

Berlin Mayor Adam Salina is celebrating his birthday this weekend and it will be a memorable one as it coincides with the Blizzard of 2013.

"I'm not used to being home and having dinner with the wife and kids very often so this is kind of nice," Salina said.

He said he has gotten many calls at his home from residents wondering why their roads had not been plowed at all on Saturday.

"I will guarantee you that plows have been down every road in town, I know that for sure," Salina said. "Those trucks may have gone down the road while they were sleeping last night but every road has been done. Now if they went through at midnight or 1 a.m. last night and haven't been back since it will look like they were never there.

"When people call me and say they need their roads plowed, I tell them I understand and 'where do you need to be?' They always say 'well, nowhere, but I want to be able to get out in the case of an emergency.' I assure them and I assure all residents that if there is an emergency called into the 911 dispatcher, a plow will lead the way for an ambulance or police car or fire truck, whatever is needed."

Salina said his road is not plowed and things could be a whole lot worse.

"Imagine if we didn't have power like those people in southeast Connecticut?" he said. "I'm thankful and the residents of town should be happy they have power. We have tried to hire outside contractors and we have four or five that are helping us out. There are other contractors out there but they all have their hands full with their own jobs."

Salina said that Berlin is in the same boat as every municipality.

"We have been on a conference call with the governor a few times today and every town is asking for help," Salina said. "The DOT has to clear all the vehicles off the on and off ramps and highways before they can even make a dent. So the DOT is swamped. And if they do have anyone they can spare, they would go to the southeast section of the state. The National Guard could come in to help but they do not have a lot of equipment that would help clear the snow."

When Salina was asked how the order of clearing streets was determined, the Mayor said there are priorities.

"The primary roads off the state roads that connect multiple points in town are the first streets to be taken care of," Salina said. "When you have neighborhoods and cul-de-sacs that are destination roads, those roads are less of a priority.

"I would be the first to say that I wish the roads were clear right now or I could say they will definitely be done by tomorrow but I can't. This was a Blizzard or epic proportions and it is a lot of snow that not only has to be pushed but has to be put somewhere. And I know nobody wants to hear it but things could be a lot worse. We were lucky it came on the weekend and we are lucky to have power. So, again, i hope residents will enjoy their family time and hang in there. The guys are working as hard as they possibly can and I'm really happy with how hard they are going at it to try to clear our roads.