Westford cleans up after blizzard as town eyes $550,000 snow-and-ice deficit appropriation

A powerful blizzard that began Feb. 22 dropped more than a foot of snow on Westford, shutting town offices and Westford Public Schools for two days and leaving crews working through the week to clear streets and restore services.

David Smith, operations manager for the Westford Public Works Highway Department, described how crews balance safety and timing when staffing plow operations: "Once we establish that we are in fact going to get snow, we have to look at the temperature...and then come up with a game plan of how we're going to actually attack and prepare for the storm." Smith said crew safety is the first concern and emphasized the importance of keeping vehicles off the road so plows can work efficiently.

The storm brought wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph across the state, downed trees and power lines and left roughly 280,000 customers without power, the report said. Gov. Maura Healey and MassDOT officials urged non-essential drivers to stay off the roads during the blizzard.

At a Thursday meeting, the Westford Finance Committee recommended a $550,000 appropriation from free cash to cover the town's snow-and-ice deficit, citing unusually heavy storms this winter. Finance Director Dan O'Donnell said the figure could still be adjusted before the March 28 town meeting depending on future weather.

The committee also reviewed a $150,000 request to launch a pay‑as‑you‑throw trash program; the finance panel approved most supplemental requests unanimously but the pay‑as‑you‑throw funding passed 7–1. The $150,000 would allow the town to purchase barrels and pre-order trash bags ahead of a planned July 1 rollout.

Next steps: the Finance Committee recommendations will go to town meeting on March 28, where voters will consider the appropriations and supplemental articles.