The Chicopee City Council discusses the city’s DPW as well as their snow removal efforts at its Feb. 3 meeting.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — On Feb. 3, the Chicopee City Council discussed employee vacancies in the Department of Public Works while also applauding the department’s continued efforts in dealing with the recent snowstorm.
With over a foot of snow affecting a lot of cities and towns in Western Massachusetts, multiple Chicopee departments came together to try to deal with the snow during and after the storm.
During the City Council meeting, Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello said she wanted to receive a report from the DPW that delineates employee vacancies.
“The reason why I’m asking for that, I do appreciate the fact that both the mayor’s office and the DPW did notify people that, with the plowing situation, there is a shortage of help. I think people appreciated being notified of that,” she stated.
Before the storm, the city warned that they didn’t have enough plow drivers, but they still prepared as much as possible.
Although Pniak-Costello said she appreciated the transparency from the city and DPW, she said they need to figure out the staffing issue because first responders and nurses at Baystate Medical Center need to access the roads during the storm.
“What people are asking is, what are the vacancies? So I’m just saying, if we can get a report, and there’s no rush for this report because they’re busy enough and I appreciate all the time, but I just want an updated report and make sure that our first responders can get in and out of their streets and the ambulances and fire and police can get down street and get those nurses into Baystate.”
City Council President Frank Laflamme said he made a phone call to DPW to get information, adding, “We are trying desperately, everybody knows. Work shortage is out there for every department … so I don’t want to diminish the work that the DPW did through this past snowstorm and continuously does. We’ll get this report, and then we’ll go from there.”
To show their appreciation, the City Council also adopted an order from Pniak-Costello to thank the first responders and city plow drivers for their work during the most recent snowstorm.
“They have kept our city streets safe, and I just want to publicly recognize them, put it on our agenda, and make it as an official documentation,” Pniak-Costello stated.
City Councilor Jerry Roy also highlighted the sanitation workers’ hard work, as well.
City Councilor Jessica Avery said that on Feb. 3, she still saw a DPW worker working on snow removal in the city.
“What they’re doing is above and beyond, and I think that we need to recognize that that above and beyond is, because they are short-staffed, and we need to consider what the staffing and funding looks like,” Avery stated. “I want to make sure that this order doesn’t sound like a pizza party and that we actually take the steps necessary to improve those actions in the department, as well.”
City Councilor Joel McAuliffe acknowledged that there could be ways to improve the snow removal process.
“The work that was done, if we analyzed it, compared our cities and towns around us, was really second to none. They got it done in an efficient way, and people shouldn’t forget these folks in the DPWs oftentimes are working 24-hour shifts, sleeping on a cot at the DPW so they can get a little bit of rest to get back out there in a plow trust.”
Laflamme thanked the city employees who came to work while the cleanup was still taking place.
