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A lovely day in the woods following the Jan. 19-20 nor-easter, which dumped 4 1/2 inches of snow on Winchester. WINCHESTER NEWS STAFF PHOTO/TARA HUGHES

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Winter’s first nor’easter of the season dumped anywhere from 3 to 6 inches across the state over the weekend. In Winchester, the snowfall measured at about 4 ½ inches.

The snow starts falling in Winchester on Jan. 19. COURTESY PHOTO/SERGIO BELLOTTI

Department of Public Works Director Robert LaBossiere said DPW was prepped and ready for the overnight storm on Jan. 19, with sanders loaded, plows gassed and crews ready for the job of clearing Winchester’s streets.

“Every storm is different,” LaBossiere said. “We had a lot of trouble with our equipment this time around, but we have great mechanics and they were able to get it fixed and back on the road.”

August Westner gets out the snowblower during the nor'easter clean up on Jan. 20. WINCHESTER NEWS STAFF PHOTO/JOYCE WESTNER

LaBossiere said one of the issues was with a 5-year-old plow. He said the bolts holding the plow itself in place sheared off on one side, causing the crews to have to remove the plow and haul it back to the yard. That, he said, ate up time.

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Additionally, LaBossiere said some of the sanders blew hydraulics lines. More work for mechanics, he added.

“The mechanics we’ve got are great,” he said. “The whole staff is great. The town is very lucky to have these guys. They do a [wonderful] job.”

LaBossiere said the town was able to cover all 24 routes with staff, not having to call in additional contractors. He said equipment is also dedicated to schools.

School Committee Chair Karen Maruyama Bolognese was checking out the schools early Jan. 20, despite the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

“All the school parking lots were already cleaned out, and the sidewalks on the school properties were all done!” she said. “I saw lots of DPW folks and school custodians outside at every school salting and working away to prepare them. The staff in town rock!”

A look at Winchester from above via drone after the nor'easter. WINCHESTER NEWS STAFF PHOTO/FRANK SITEMAN
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Work on Winchester Center Station expected to close, detour roads downtown

Work on Winchester Center Station expected to close, detour roads downtown

The following was submitted by the MBTA: From Tuesday, Feb. 18 to Thursday, Feb. 20, Winchester residents should be aware work is taking place in the downtown area for continuing work to the Winchester Center Station. Crews are expected to be performing steel beam, platform, guardrail, and light pole installation

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