The following is Mayor Scott Jackson's update for Tuesday, Feb. 12:
This is Mayor Scott Jackson with a storm update for Tuesday covering school closings, road clearing efforts and important safety announcements. This message will be displayed on the town website, at www.hamden.com, and on the Town of Hamden facebook page.
All Hamden Public Schools will remain closed on Wednesday. The Board of Education will be making day by day determinations as to what will happen for the rest of the week.
Town government offices will be open, including Hamden Public Libraries.
We have made significant progress today in most areas of the town, a little slower in the denser neighborhoods of the southwest and parts of Whitneyville. We have pockets of streets still unpassable in scattered areas - but we are on-target for making 90% of our streets passable by tonight. More than 30 crews are moving snow right now and will continue to do so until the Town is entirely passable.
This process we are concluding is called the breakout; clearing a lane at least wide enough for emergency access to every street. We will, without pause, then move into widening the roads. Additional equipment and resources are being brought in to hit the ground running on phase two of the clean-up effort.
The State of Emergency I declared in Hamden is still in effect. Under that authority, I am suspending the enforcement of the sidewalk clearing ordinance. Because we will be widening roads, we don't want you to have to shovel out many feet of heavy snow three or four times. We will work to create a list of private contractors available to homeowners for shoveling and plowing services should you need it.
A few safety updates: As most roads become passable, it is still advisable to stay home as much as possible. When you do go out, please pay extra care when turning onto busy streets as sight lines are severely impacted. On major arteries keep an eye out for cars that may be turning blindly. Please be careful with snow shoveling, the snow has only become heavier and therefore more dangerous.
The National Guard remains here assisting with the efforts. As always call 911 for emergencies. For non-emergency assistance, please call 203-230-4000.
We will continue to have regular updates atwww.hamden.com and on theTown of Hamden facebook page.
