Wednesday Morning Blizzard Update: All Roads Passable; Push Back Work Continuing Throughout Today

The town of Guilford wanted to make every road in town passable by the end of the day Tuesday, and First Selectman Joe Mazza told Guilford Patch this morning that they have met that goal.

"Every road was passable by the end of the day yesterday," Mazza said. "Today, we are working on a Push Back Operation throughout the day to widen the roads."

The main goal in this, is to make roads safe for bus passage. "We are working hard to create two lane traffic passage on the roads," Mazza said. "Making it safer for travel and for buses. The bus manager will go out today and take a tour of the bus routes. Safety is always our first priority."

The decision on whether Guilford Public Schools will have school tomorrow or not is still uncertain, particularly considering that snow is possible overnight. 

"We understand folks frustrations about the road conditions," Mazza continued. "We thank them for their patience and understanding."

The Town Hall has received several calls regarding the town's crews pushing snow back into the streets. "We want to assure everyone that this is not happening," Mazza stated. "We do not push snow back into the streets. If this is happening, it is most likely the private contractors residents have hired to clear their driveways. If we do see them doing this, they will be held accountable."

"We still have work to do,"  Mazza continued. "We have about 6 or 8 private heavy construction trucks that have joined us, and we're making great progress." 

As far as the budget is concerned, Mazza says the town will manage it, and plans to file with FEMA.  The declaration provides federal disaster funding for '75% of the cost of emergency protective measures incurred by municipalities, state agencies, and eligible non profits for a 48 hour period.'

Mazza has also taken further steps. "Because cleanup has taken beyond that 48 hr. period, I've reached out to Sen. Murphy, Sen. Blumenthol and our Congressional offices to discuss bringing forward legislation that would extend that 48 hours," Mazza said. "We want to work towards getting a broader window. The funding would cover things like overtime, cost for outside contractors and equipment usage."