Storm, Day 2: Some Things You Need to Know

Here are some things you need to know about today’s snowstorm:

• If you have any snow-related questions or concerns, please contact the DPW Storm Center, which is in continuous operation throughout the storm, at 781-665-0142.
• School has not been canceled for tomorrow. That decision will happen later in the day. Please stay tuned.
• The parking ban is still in effect until tomorrow. Please stay tuned.
• Please stay off the roads. It’s far too dangerous, and traffic is impeding the snow removal process.
• It is against the law to plow snow into the streets or to block sidewalks. These practices are illegal and this will be enforced. If you see anyone doing this, please contact the Melrose Police Department’s non-emergency number, 781-665-1212 and they will send someone out.
• Trash and recycling pickup will happen tomorrow. Every route will be pushed out one day, as with a holiday schedule. Please make sure your trash and recyclables are visible, as it will be a tough day for the crews.
• Please refer to this post for a list of high school students who are interested in being hired for snow removal. I am asking you again to please help your neighbor if you have a snowblower and can help remove snow from sidewalks.
• City Hall will open tomorrow at 10 a.m.
• All municipal and school meetings and events are canceled for today.
• The tough one… There is no way for the City to avoid plowing you back in when we clean the roads. There is no magic way to plow that will allow us to clear and widen the roads without pushing that snow back into driveways. The roads must be widened with this amount of snow. If not, with our already narrow roads in Melrose, we would only be able to fit one car down a street. I understand this is frustrating, but with this amount of snow, there are going to be multiple passes of plows in the next 20 hours. There is no way to avoid this.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation, and please stay tuned to this blog and the City of Melrose Twitter for additional information.

Stay safe, Melrose!

National Grid Numbers

Here are the phone numbers for National Grid:

To report a power outage: 1-800-465-1212
To report a gas leak: 1-800-640-1595
For National Grid Customer Service: 1-800-322-3223

For all snow-related questions or problems, please call the Public Works Snow Operations Center at 781-665-0142. It will be staffed 24 hours a day throughout the storm.

Video Update from Mayor Dolan

No School Tomorrow

There will be no school in the City of Melrose on Tuesday, January 27.

Trash and Recycling Pickups to Be Delayed

Due to the impending snowstorm, trash and recycling pickups scheduled for Tuesday, January 27, will be postponed for one day, and pickups will be on a holiday schedule for the rest of the week. This means:

• Tuesday’s trash and recycling will be picked up on Wednesday.
• Wednesday’s trash and recycling will be picked up on Thursday.
• Thursday’s trash and recycling will be picked up on Friday.
• Friday’s trash and recycling will be picked up on Saturday.

If you have any questions or problems, please call the City Yard, 781-665-0142.

Preparing for the Big Snow

Obviously there is going to be a very big storm over the next few days. We have been through big storms before, and we are prepared for this one. As of this writing, we are expecting between 18 and 24 inches of snow over a period of 30+ hours. The intensity and duration of the storm are our collective greatest challenges.

The City of Melrose will have over 85 pieces of equipment out to tackle this snow. However, this is going to be a multi-day cleanup process that will be in several phases. Life will not be fully back to normal until the end of the week if the magnitude of this storm is as advertised. Please be patient!

All snow operations will be run out of the City Yard, 72 Tremont St. If you have any snow concerns or questions, please call 781-665-0142. Phones will be staffed 24 hours a day.

Here’s what you need to know for now:

• I am declaring a Snow Emergency and on-street parking ban as of 10 p.m. tonight and extending at least through Wednesday morning.
• City Hall and all City buildings except the Police and Fire Departments will close at 5 p.m. today and will reopen at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
• All City meetings and municipal events scheduled for this evening and tomorrow are canceled.
• Please keep an eye on this site or MMTV, as we will be updating you regularly with information about the progress of this storm.

In case of emergency, please call 911.

The number to call for all snow related concerns is the City Yard storm center, 781-665-0142, which will be open 24 hours a day from now until the cleanup is completed.

Dine Out Close to Home During Melrose Restaurant Week

Here’s a press release from the Melrose Chamber of Commerce:

Join us for the first Melrose Restaurant Week! From January 25th through January 31st 2015, our exceptional local restaurants will be offering unique menu items and/or three-course lunch and dinner prix fixe menus. Prices are per person and exclude beverages, tax and gratuity. Visitors looking for incredible meals at bargain prices can go to melrosechamber.org to see restaurant participants, peruse menus and make reservations.

“With so many superb restaurants to choose from we are excited to host the first, of hopefully many, Melrose Restaurant Weeks. So pick a restaurant or two, and come out the week of January 25th and find out what makes Melrose restaurants so extraordinary!” said Joan Mongeau, Executive Director for the Melrose Chamber of Commerce.

Current participants include: Bobby C’s, LaQchara, Jitters, Melrose House of Pizza, Mexico Lindo, Ocean Sushi, Rang Indian Bistro, Stearns and Hill’s Bistro, Toobas, and Turner’s Seafood. For more information about Melrose Restaurant Week, updates on restaurant menus, times, and pricing please visit the Melrose Chamber of Commerce website or Facebook page, or follow the Chamber on Twitter.

Liquor License Commission to Review Proposed Changes

The Melrose Liquor License Commission will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 26, on the second floor of the Milano Senior Center, 201 West Foster Street, to receive Mayor Rob Dolan’s proposals for changes to Melrose’s liquor regulations.

These changes include

Clarifying the regulation on serving alcoholic beverages in restaurants to include the following:

• A customer may order one drink before ordering food;
• A second drink can be ordered once the customer has ordered a meal;
•  “Meal” is defined as a purchased menu item of food;
• Service of alcoholic beverages requires table service by waitstaff, and not counter-service;
• Customers may not bring their own alcoholic beverages into a restaurant;
• Pitchers of beverages are not allowed, however wine and wine-based beverages may be served out of a decanter.

Setting forth regulations regarding outdoor service of alcoholic beverages, to screen service areas from surrounding neighborhoods, and to ensure that members of the public cannot wander into service areas without first entering the restaurant.

The Commission will hold a public hearing before acting on these proposals.

If the Commission approves the changes, Mayor Dolan will then send an order to the Board of Aldermen proposing revisions to the the number of seats required for a restaurant beer and wine license and full liquor license. Any changes approved by the Aldermen will then go to the state legislature as a Home Rule Petition.

Great Kids Club Event at Memorial Hall

What a great day! Karen K and the Jitterbugs put on a great show for today’s special Kids Club event at Memorial Hall, and the kids loved it! Besides enjoying a wonderful show, our audience donated a generous amount of food for A Servant’s Heart food pantry.

Special thanks to the Birth to Five Committee for all their hard work!

Come to the Martin Luther King Day Dinner and Program on Monday

Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, keynote speaker at Monday’s Martin Luther King Day Program

In celebration of the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Melrose will hold its annual Martin Luther King Day Dinner and Program on Monday, Jan. 19, at The First Congregational Church in Melrose. The event is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office, the Melrose Human Rights Commission, the Melrose Clergy Association, the Melrose Alliance Against Violence, the Melrose Chamber of Commerce, the Melrose League of Women Voters and Hallmark Health.

“In light of the recent happenings in Ferguson and across the nation, the time is ripe for a candid community conversation about race relations,” said Shawn MacMaster, Vice Chairman of the Melrose Human Rights Commission. “Ferguson was a sobering experience for all of us, and its aftermath has demonstrated that we have a long way to go in order to make Dr. King’s ‘dream’ a reality. What better time to recommit ourselves to the cause of civil rights than on the day when we honor the life and work of Dr. King.”

Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, a prominent historian, award-winning author, and human rights activist, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. One of the nation’s leading scholars on African American History, Joseph is a professor at Tufts University and the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. He is the author of several books, including “Stokely Carmichael: A Life” and “Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour,” for which he won the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Book Award. Frequently sought after by national news outlets to offer commentary on issues of race, democracy, and civil rights, Joseph has appeared on PBS News Hour, NPR, CNN, C-SPAN, and MSNBC. His essays have been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Book Forum, The Chronicle Review, The Journal of American History, and The American Historical Review.

Joseph will have a limited number of books on hand for purchase at the event and will be signing copies of his books.

The event is free and open to the public, beginning at 5 p.m. with a potluck dinner. The family program, which starts at 6 p.m., includes a musical performance by the Martin Luther King Day Choir, a Choral Reading of the “I Have a Dream” speech, and Joseph’s keynote address entitled, “From Selma to #BlackLivesMatter: Reimagining Martin Luther King in the Age of Obama and Ferguson.” Activities for young children will be offered during the keynote. For more information about the event or to learn more about the Melrose Human Rights Commission, visit the Human Rights Commission website or their Facebook page.