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Holyoke DPW details strain from January storm, cites driver shortages and aging equipment
Summary
The DPW told the Public Safety Committee the January storm stretched its capacity: the city deployed 12 trucks (9 large, 3 small), faced a shortage of CDL drivers (only four available overnight), used a surplus military snowblower that malfunctioned, and lacks enough large-contractor capacity partly because insurance costs have reduced contractor participation.
Mike Ellinger, the head of Holyoke's Department of Public Works, told the Public Safety Committee on May 11 that a combination of heavy snowfall, an aging fleet and staffing shortages limited the city's ability to clear all streets rapidly during the January storm.
"We had a total of 12 trucks out on the road, 9 of them large trucks and 3 of them smaller trucks," Ellinger said while describing the department's initial response. He said the department had four qualified CDL drivers available during the overnight shift, and multiple large trucks were parked because operators were unavailable.
Ellinger outlined…
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