SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Residents say they tried reaching out to the city for answers. Today, ABC40 dug for answers with the head of Springfield’s DPW.
DPW Director Al Chwalak continues to monitor the storm response from this command center.
“We’ve been saying it four four days. We cannot handle a storm this size with the majority of equipment that we ahve,” says Chwalek.
Inspectors drove down all 2,000 city streets Monday.
By mid afternoon, eight streets were still unplowed. Many others weren’t perfect, but they were passable.
“After years and years of continual budget cuts, this is what’s going to happen. I warned everybody, and unfortunately this is a freak storm,” Chwalek adds.
Chwalak says DPW did the best they could over the weekend. The city was forced to stop plowing from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday because drivers needed rest after working 24 hours straight.
[Is there any question if they could have been staggered differently...Different shifts?]
“If you have back up drivers, you can stagger. I have no back up drivers. I have 20 trucks, I have 20 drivers. That is it,” Chwalek says.
Overall, 128 people work for the Springfield DPW. Cwhalek says there were 300 in 2003 and twice as much equipment.
So the city has to hire about 200 subcontractors to plow, but 80% of them are pickup trucks and couldn’t handle two feet of snow
“Some of them actually refused residential streets because they will get stuck. If you are towing plows, you know you are in trouble.”
Chwalak pledges the city will continue to make slow, steady progress
“This is a real challenge. Two feet of snow is not something to take lightly, and we haven’t.”
Wish why your department continuously had cuts since 03 that our taxes had those same cuts.
WHAT… he’s full of ****! SPFLD got hit worse in 2011 and since I was working for that same man, I don’t remember getting a TIME OFF, for working during a storm. they had 3 shifts & I was forced to work 2 shifts, for 6 days straight!!!
And none of the other 108 employees can be cross trained to run the plow trucks during periods of rest for the main drivers?
Good for him for saying what needed to be said. We got too much snow and they don’t have the man power to cover it. So instead of everyone crying about it, maybe something should be done to get some more people working.
200 private contractors who were hired but refused to do the work. How do y’all like privatization now?
Jackass. Maybe if the contractors had not been ordered to ignore the side streets and stick to the main roads until Sunday, there wouldn’t have BEEN 20 inches of snow on them when they got to them. That being said, now I know who to address my bill to for reimbursement for fuel and labor for using my snowblower to clear my own street.
Not everyone can jump in a plow truck.
So you’re a sick senior citizen and the government says there is no nursing home available for you, what do you do?
Our plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets.
You are allowed to shoot four Congressmen, Senators, Presidents, or any Federal combination thereof.
Of course, this means you will be sent to prison where you will get three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating,
air conditioning and all the health care you need !!!!!! Need new teeth? Need glasses? That’s great. Need a
new hip, knees, kidney, lungs or heart? How about *** Change Operation to give you a new perspective on life?
No Problem because as a convicted Felon you would have a Constitutional Right to any above procedure,
and more;
much, much more.
And, as an added bonus, your kids can come and visit you as often as they do now.
Now you may ask who will be paying for all of this? Why It’s the same government that just told you that they cannot afford for
you to go into a home.
But the best part is because you are a prisoner, you don’t have to pay any income taxes anymore !!!!!!
Is this a great country or what ??????
In God we trust !!!!!!
This is complete BS! I bet his street was plowed first! Notice he made it to work. People are unable to leave their homes! Wtf, why should these poor residents be treated like their under house arrest?!
I imagine there is a liability issue for private contractors to use the city vehicles. And we were happy to help ourselves…and our neighbors with our snowblower….free of charge.
FIRE DPW CHWALEK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND HIS LACK OF “MANAGEMENT TRAINED” SUPERVISORS!
If they let the subs work from say mid night Friday until mid night sat they would of been able to handle the snow,, because they would of gotten a jump on it..I pay over $2500.00 in taxes in this city of homes. where is the millions even billions of tax dollars going??
Ohhhhh! Guess that’s why some streets were plowed just half way forcing drivers to back up and out of a street that looked plowed but wasn’t when you got half way down.
That’s because they don’t check the vehicles these contractors are driving! Most are lawn services with old pickup trucks with no snow tires on them!!! And the ones who can do the jobs, they deny them, because “LOU’S LAWN CARE” is cheaper!
We have not had much snow in the last couple of years, why didn’t they take to snow removal budget to update the equipment?
Then if the workers had to rest and the small pick-up trucks could not do the job, Then hire someone to drive those big trucks, While the DPW workers are at home resting.
B**ch b**ch, that’s all everyone does. Come on people you can’t prepare for a blizzard like this. No matter what you might think. In a city this size it still would of taken days to do them all even with more suitable trucks. If you don’t like it move somewhere that it doesn’t snow
Nice rant jimbecile u f…in idiot
In order to drive the big plow trucks, the driver needs to hold a class b license
Which also requires a dot physical card and drug test prior to employment. Not so easy to just cross train people. Look at the politicians cutting the budget for snow removal, and not allowing budget to roll over for such an instance. Or put it into equipment instead of spending it on elsewhere
What’s up Jeff your old lady made you take her last name!
Notice they had said that they had gone down all the streets we “the people of wait streeet” did not see any trucks at all which includes those inspectors untill all of the media was called and a stink was made. and yet again they where broadcasting from one end of wait street plus an anbulance could not get down the street.
Where I live it still hasn’t been plowed yet… I am so aggravated already…Have called 311 for the last two days to complain ans still nothing had been done…
Taxes go up, but quality of city services goes down. Where the F$%# is that money going? I want the city to answer THAT question! This “plowing” issue is just a red herring.
you know im fine with the one lane down the street that they did….but could you tell the cops when they get a call on one of these side streets with only one lane plowed (and it’s a dead end) that parking in the middle of it blocks people from getting out making them late for work!!!