Mansfield Prepares For Friday's Pending Storm

With reports of up to two feet of snow, and perhaps up to 30 inches in some isolated areas, the town of Mansfield is getting ready for the biggest storm in 2-3 years.

According to Town Manager Bill Ross, a meeting for town staff will be held at 1:00 p.m. today to go through preplanning and Ross will sit in on a conference call with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at 11:45 a.m. today.

New salt brine spray equipment is operational and will be used for the purposes of melting ice on the roads. Unlike rock salt, the spray will be laid out before the snow starts to allow ice and snow to melt faster. Ross also mentioned that the spay will make the streets white but that is normal. Giving an example of the salt brine's efficiency, Ross, an area that needs 14 tons of rock salt will only need two tons of salt brine spray.

The town will be looking into opening emergency shelters if needed but Ross admitted that it would be difficult for those who need the shelter to access it during the storm.

More importantly, Ross express the need for everyone to stay off the roads. Due to the length of the storm, the roads are expected to remain in poor conditions for most if not all of the storm.

“If this storm is as predicted, it is going to be extremely difficult and dangerous to travel. We really advise everyone to stay home, stay where you’re safe and warm,” Ross said at yesterday’s selectmen meeting. “We don’t want to have to rescue people if they’re out in their car so please if it looks like it’s going to get bad, do your shopping ahead of time, fill your car with gas, stay at home, and watch it snow out the window.”

Selectman Jess Aptowitz asked residents to be understanding if it takes a little extra time for the plows to clean up the streets.

“Please be patient.” Aptowitz said. “They’re (the plows) going to be here and they’re not going to stop until it’s done.”

Any new announcements or alerts from the town will be released through the official Mansfield Facebook page and Twitter account.