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How Did Weston's Snow Budget Fare This Winter?

A snowy winter created a lot of work for Weston's DPW -- it also left a dent in the pocketbook.

Punxsutawney Phil was wrong. Winter definitely decided to linger this year. But it didn't just take a toll on drivers' patience, it hit Weston's pocketbook as well. Weston Department of Public Works Director of Operations Bob Hoffman said Weston went right through the $253,000 allocated to the Fiscal Year 2013 snow budget. In fact, Hoffman said, the department is probably over that amount by $270,000, which would bring the total snow expenditures to $523,000 for the fiscal year. The extra cash was allocated from the town's free cash reserves. Still, Hoffman said, that's nothing compared to the winter of 2010-2011, when Weston spent almost $800,000 on removal and cleanup of the 84 inches of snow that fell that season. This winter, Hoffman …

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DPW Director of Operations: 'We're Ready'

Weston crews have been busy for days preparing for the Blizzard of 2013.

The latest estimates of snowfall in Weston have the town looking at as much as 3 feet of the white stuff falling in the next 24-plus hours. Department of Public Works Director of Operations Bob Hoffman, however, said his crews can handle whatever may fall. "We're ready to go," Hoffman said. "We've been through this before." Hoffman said his crews have spent the past couple of days sharpening plow blades, checking the oil in vehicles and performing other basic vehicle maintenance to ensure the trucks are in prime working condition. Hoffman said that, unlike the Blizzard of '78, there isn't any snow on the ground right now so crews have a place to put the piles of cleared snow. Hoffman's biggest concern: That residents obey the town bylaw …

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