Duties & Responsibilities
The Highway / Forestry Division is responsible for the removal of snow from Town streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. Snow operations include salting, sanding, and plowing. Post-storm operations may include scraping, pushing back, and hauling and removing snow piles. The Highway/Forestry Division Supervisor oversees the entire Department of Public Works (DPW) operations staff as well as private contractors performing snow removal activities. Approximately 65% of snow removal effort is performed by private contractors. When snow removal operations occur outside of regular work time, DPW employees are paid on an overtime basis; contractors are paid on an hourly flat rate.
Tewksbury averages approximately 56 inches of snow per year. On an average snowfall of three to six inches, it takes approximately six hours to clear the Town's streets after the snow has stopped. Post-storm activities include sanding and salting, drifting, sidewalk cleanup, clearing crosswalks in proximity to schools, and addressing any storm related work order requests from residents.
