snow
Thursday's snowstorm brought almost two feet of snow in some areas of town, with snow falling from 7 a.m. on Thursday through into the night. Wilmington DPW, however, was ex­pecting the snow to start at 3 a.m., so they delayed their start plowing until about 10:30 a.m.

Operations Manager Jamie Ma­galdi explained that the excessive winds make it hard to quantify exactly how much snow fell, but he provided an average of 17.5 inches throughout the day. This storm fell in the midst of an extremely cold week, with temperatures in the negative degrees, which made the cleanup and the aftermath of the storm particularly difficult.

Magaldi shared that the town had a total of 90 workers plowing from Thursday morning to Friday afternoon.

"We had 45 staff and 45 contractors," he said.

The equipment they use ranges from snow plows to front loaders to sidewalk cleaners.

The length of the storm and the ex­treme weather conditions surrounding it both contributed to the way that the DPW's work could be done.

"It takes a toll on the guys and on the equipment," Magaldi continued.

Even with all hands on deck, they worked a very long and hard several days after the storm to be ready for school on Monday.

The DPW's main concern for Mon­day was for the sidewalks to be cleared for students and staff to be able to walk safely, but they may continue more road and sidewalk-clearing.

"It usually takes about a week or more," he said. "This is not a typical event. We're not ever going to have the town cleaned up."

Magaldi and the rest of the DPW's employees appreciate that folks continue to be patient and understand that this may take awhile because of the freezing conditions.

Temperatures have been significantly higher this week, rising into the 20s and 30s and expecting to pass 40. While the temperature here looks up, Magaldi sends the thoughts of the department to those living along the coast whose houses are in danger after Thursday's storm.

He'd ask residents to be willing to clear the snow and ice from their neighborhood fire hydrants in case of emergencies.

"We all need to pitch in and help each other out," he added.

It's this belief that warrants his mention of how important it is to for everyone to drip their faucets overnight to prevent water pipes freezing as winter continues.