By Stephanie Hirsch

I love the snow because it gives me an excuse to stay home and watch the weather through a window. But some people have to do the opposite when it snows – they head out to take care of the snow and our community. In this column, I’d like to a shout out to City staff who help reduce extreme weather stress and the snow angels/saints on each block who shovel out seniors or share their snow blowers.

Here’s information about some local heroes and what they do when the forecast looks grim:

Staying in Touch: Long before the first snowflake, our Communications and 311 departments prep to reach each person to make sure they stay safe and avoid tickets. Over the years, Communications staff have worked to develop different ways to connect – signs, flyers, television, digital billboard, brochures, flashing lights, emails, calls, social media, etc.

Days before the storm, our 311 call center in the basement of City Hall starts to experience their own version of the Market-Basket-storm-dash… As Director Steve Craig says: “In the last few days prior to a storm, we see spikes in a wide range of calls covering multiple departments.”

When the storm rolls in, as Communications Director Denise Taylor says, “We’re all activated and at the ready during all waking hours (and a few of us stay available 24/7) to get out emergency information in four languages and by all channels.” These departments work out of tiny rooms in City Hall, packed floor to ceiling with desks, computers, and phones… and on snow days, they may be hopping while other offices are quiet.

During the storm, the team fields requests and questions and stays on Facebook and Twitter. “From the early morning hours to late at night, we are glued to our monitors and phones, helping to troubleshoot plowing issues by contacting DPW, reporting un-shoveled sidewalks to 311 and ISD, clarifying parking issues with T&P, urging folks to support and check on their neighbors… and more.”

Steve said that they hear from people who are frustrated, but also said that people express kindness and appreciation – and it’s his department’s job to listen and help with everyone, and then pass along feedback to related departments.

As the storm passes, the whole process repeats in reverse to let people know next steps. As Denise said, “Eventually, we finish up. Then we too head outside to shovel our own walks or catch a glimpse of the white stuff to remember that — even if it can be stressful to help a city of 80,000 navigate a storm — snow is pretty, too.”

Keeping People Safe and Removing Snow: The Police and Fire Departments often have to work in extreme conditions to help people who are affected by those extreme conditions. And the people on the front line for weather events are Public Works crews who plow, sand, and salt the streets, and who clear public properties such as school yards and sidewalks next to parks. They work as many hours as are permitted by law to try to get in front of the storm and to keep our streets safe and passable. In this picture, my family passed DPW employee Marty Pantanella as she cleared sidewalks in Union Square. I have never seen Marty rest… she is always hustling to get work done. Traffic and Parking also works very hard during snow events to make sure there’s room for the plows.

Helping People Who Need It: Covering another angle, Chris Hosman and Connie Lorenti, of Health and Human Services and Council on Aging, work together to help seniors connect with young people, so that the young people can shovel their walks. This revival of the former “Rent-a-Kid” program now has 116 people enrolled. Chris reports that the initiative builds relationships across generations and helps break down any stereotypes. Last winter, one senior even helped a young person with college applications. (Learn more here.)

Your Block’s Snow Angels (& Saints): In addition to the people listed above who sweat the details while many hole up at home, there are a crew of helpers who live on blocks throughout the city. Maybe you know one? Or maybe you even are one! Here are a few of those neighbors who help their blocks.

• On Spring Hill Terrace, Christopher Foley “is a great shovel-out guy,” according to his neighbor. “He shovels out our elderly neighbor all the time, and his son Sheamus often helps.”
• On Bartlett, “Ernie Lavoie has shoveled out our 100-year-old neighbors’ corner house every snow storm since we were kids, and he does her shopping,” according to a neighbor.
• On Madison, “Don Davis…is adept at keeping his snow blower in good repair. He does many houses in our street, clears street parking out, etc. In storms, it’s not unusual to see him out for an entire day in his Carhartt jumpsuit and a beard full of ice.”
• Over near Davis Square, “The team at Redbones works really hard, every storm, to clear sidewalks, curb cuts and driveways,” according to a neighbor.
• A resident of Windsor Road shared this appreciation for John Howe: “I’m on a corner lot. I cleared the side of the house and was just about to round the corner to tackle the front when John came walking toward me with his snow blower. After two straight hours of lifting that back-breaking concrete-like snow, I almost wept in gratitude to see him.” She added: “Also, Joe Chromy, Somerville snow blower legend. How many hours of backbreaking labor has he spared his Somerville neighbors? Too many to count.”
• On Columbus, neighbors thanked 26-year-old Johnathan (Yianny) Tsirigotis. “We have two elderly neighbors who live next to each other…and he always shovels both of them out every time it snows.”
• Neighbors praised more helpers on their blocks, like Jimmy Delgado on Cedar Street Place, Stephen Collins on Ware Street, Louis Morales on Porter, Paul Marks and Donald Gay on Avon, Andrew Kopacz on Prospect Hill, David Homsi and Edward Beuchert on Conwell Ave, John Alan Roderick on Tower, and Jack Connolly and Paul Mansfield on Winslow and Grove.
• And finally, one resident remembered her dad, the late Timothy Mahoney: “He was a snow blowing legend on Highland Road for over 25+ years. He was the true meaning of neighbor. Looking out for all who shared his street. One neighbor even penned a poem about him. He was the best.”

Thank you to all of you who weather the backaches and frozen feet to make your blocks better and your neighbors happier. (Pictured here is my block’s “snow saint”, snow blowing half the block. Thank you Chuck Lounsberry!)

Volunteer Opportunities this Month: In the spirit of our snow angels, take a look at a few ways to help your community this month.

• A Myrtle Street resident Lorie Reilly would like to start a litter brigade. If you’d like to help Lorie clean up on Myrtle, indicate your interest on this form.
• CAAS needs volunteers to help households prepare tax returns. Contact Danielle Osterman at dosterman@caasomerville.org.
• The City needs volunteer guides at local historical sites. Contact Brandon Wilson at bwilson@somervillema.gov.