Mayor Wu on Boston’s winter: ‘We will be prepared for anything’

‘One of the, I think, most beautiful sites in the city: when we get our salt pile ready for all that’s ahead.’ BOSTON MAYOR MICHELLE WU

It’s an annual rite in Boston: an array of city officials stand in front of a massive salt pile and tick off the ways they are prepared for whatever winter has in store over the next few months.

“One of the, I think, most beautiful sites in the city: when we get our salt pile ready for all that’s ahead,” Mayor Michelle Wu told reporters Tuesday morning at a public works yard on Frontage Road, located almost in the shadow of Interstate 93.

Wu listed the various snowfighting tools Boston has: 44,000 tons of salt to treat slick roads, including the mound of 12,000 tons that sat behind her; 175 pieces of snow-clearing apparatus, with 800 more to be deployed in storms.

“We will be prepared for anything,” she said.

With temperatures dipping into the low 30s, Wu offered advice that would appear obvious to hardened New Englanders. Dress warmly, she said, and if anyone sees homeless or underdressed people struggling against the chill, call 911.

Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city’s chief of streets, said that even with a mild last winter, city crews were dispatched 15 times to treat the streets after inclement weather like freezing rain.

“No matter what the winter throws at us, this is a challenging time of year,” he said.

Small pieces of equipment will be sent out after storms to clear curb ramps and crosswalks in some of the busier areas of the city, including neighborhood business districts, around schools, or near transit hubs, Franklin-Hodge said.

Sidewalks and curb ramps that abut private property are supposed to be cleared by property owners within three hours of snowfall, or, if there is snow overnight, within three hours of sunrise. Franklin-Hodge encouraged residents to also clear snow from catch basins and fire hydrants, and said a 42-inch-wide cleared path was required on sidewalks. He implored people to not throw snow in the street.

And no discussion of winter in Boston would be complete without talk of space savers. Brianna Millor, the city’s chief of community engagement, said residents may only use space savers for up to 48 hours after the end of a snow emergency is declared. After that time, the city will remove them. She reminded residents that space savers are not allowed in Bay Village or the South End.

Sheila Dillon, the city’s chief of housing, said the city has created nearly 220 low-threshold beds for people suffering from substance use or other mental health problems. Housing providers this fall have also added 120 emergency shelter beds and 55 warming spaces.

“In cold and inclement weather, no one will be turned away,” Dillon said.

Additionally, the state has secured 400 winter beds and warming spaces outside of Boston, which Dillon said would help ease the pressure on the city’s shelter spaces during winter.