Latest news with #DPW
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Water main break impacts residents on George Street in Holyoke
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – A water main break is impacting residents' water service on George Street in Holyoke on Thursday. Two arrested in Holyoke traffic stop connected to shots fired incident The City of Holyoke's Department of Public Works (DPW) states that the break has caused an unplanned water shutoff for most residents on George Street. The DPW anticipates that the water will be back in service within the next four to six hours. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Milwaukee potholes; city works to address ongoing problem
The Brief Milwaukee DPW officials are working to fix potholes across the city. Crews say how busy the street is and how hazardous the pothole is will determine the response time. It's an issue Milwaukee drivers know all too well. MILWAUKEE - A roller coaster ride – that's how some drivers said they feel when navigating Milwaukee's potholes. Right now, patching crews are working on fixing the streets. What we know The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) said at this time of year, response time is slower. But they are bringing in other city staff to help. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Waldemar Rivera's National Auto Tech & Towing is in a convenient spot, depending on how you look at it. His shop is surrounded by potholes near 7th and National. "There are cars you see, they hit one, their tire goes," Rivera said. "The holes just sink. And they are making big potholes." He said he gets roughly 10 customers a month dealing with pothole damage. Dig deeper DPW crews are in full swing, filling about 100 potholes a day. Street services manager Tom Wangerin said because there was less freezing and thawing this winter into spring, requests for pothole fixes are down almost 40%. "We're sitting in a much better place when it comes to our backlog and keeping up with the influx of requests," Wangerin said. There have been approximately 3,200 pothole requests this year, per the DPW. Last year at this time, that number was around 5,200. At 5th and Mitchell, crews patched up an entire block of potholes on Thursday morning. Crews say how busy the street is and how hazardous the pothole is will determine the response time. "We're averaging about 4.5 days to close out a service request," Wangerin said. "Weekday overtime right now is in full swing." What you can do Back at Rivera's shop, he encourages you to keep your car in good condition, so pothole patches don't cause more bumps in your road. "Invest in the cars to keep good parts on it," he said. "Because if it has a weak part and hits a pothole, it is just going to go." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News If you have car damage from a pothole in the city, you can file a claim at the clerk's office. Those are reviewed case-by-case. The city is encouraging residents to report potholes, either through the city's mobile app or by calling 414-286-CITY (2489). The Source The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘I've seen worse': Scituate, coastal communities braced to weather late-May nor'easter
Coastal Massachusetts towns on the south shore,, like Scituate battled through a late-May nor'easter that brought high winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding during high tide Thursday night. At the Scituate Lighthouse, onlookers flocked to the coast to get a close look at the waves. 'Hearty New Englanders are used to this stuff,' said William Danforth of Hingham. He told Boston 25 his friends with boats already in the harbor were concerned with the storm blowing through. Danforth added, 'I think they're feeling probably a little on edge, perhaps.' Brian Fairbank, another onlooker at the lighthouse, echoed Danforth, 'I've seen worse... It's New England, [weather] can change in the blink of an eye!' Boston 25 tagged alongside Scituate's town administrator Jim Boudreau while he monitored the coastlines. 'A lot of times you're staying by the phone,' he said Thursday night during high tide. 'My biggest concern is going to be the wind with the full canopies on the trees. They tend to act as sails, so you can get more damage.' He said that all DPW crews are on-call. Fire and police crews also were increased overnight into Friday. Boudreau doesn't anticipate major coastal flooding other than splash-over near the sea walls. However, he said the area could see scattered power outages. 'Be ready when you see a storm coming,' Boudreau advised. 'Make sure your generators work. Make sure you're ready to go if something happens.' He also warned the public about venturing too close to the shores during any nor'easter, saying it's dangerous for the public and emergency crews., This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hadley apartment complex evacuated due to sewage leak
HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) – A sudden sewage backflow into an apartment complex in Hadley has left dozens of residents and their families without a place to call home. It happened at the Vesta Apartment Homes on Greenleaves Drive. Hadley interim town administrator, Michael Mason, told 22News that nine apartments on the first floor were affected with sewage coming from the pipes. Mason adds that after a brief inspection by public safety, the building inspector and Board of Health, it was determined that residents would have to be evacuated and move into local hotels. One resident, Craig Tela, mentioned that his girlfriend and her two kids were notified to move out by the leasing management just before 10 AM on Thursday. He described the apartment as having an inch of sewage, with bathroom tubs overflowing and water in the kitchen. 'It's been emotional. But yeah, it's been difficult,' says Tela. 'And the great thing is everyone's pulled together like some of us don't even know each other, even though we're neighbors, now we do. And everyone pulled together and pretty much helped each other out.' None of the residents on the upper floors required evacuation and have been cleared to remain in the building. The Amherst DPW superintendent says they were in there yesterday, helping to make repairs to both the clogged sewer and a large sinkhole that formed behind the building. DPW has been working with the apartment complex to get this issue resolved. They will be back on Friday. It is estimated that it will likely be days, if not weeks, before residents will be allowed to move back into their homes. We have reached out to the apartment complex for comment, but have yet to hear back. We will provide updates as soon as they become available. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Falls extends Casella contract in return for purchase of 18,000 new totes
Just over a year into a five-year deal to provide garbage and recycling collection for Niagara Falls, city council members have approved a five-year extension of the city's contract with Casella Waste Management. In exchange for the doubling of the term of its contract, Casella has agreed to spend 'approximately $1.2 million this year to purchase 18,000 new 96-gallon blue garbage totes.' According to a memo from Mayor Robert Restaino (D) to the council members, the purchase would allow the city to replace its current collection of roughly 18,000 'smaller-seized blue totes.' The extension moves the expiration of Casella's contract from April 30, 2029, to April 30, 2034, 'under the same terms, conditions, and specifications' currently contained in its agreement with the city. Restaino has characterized the Casella contract as 'much more in line with our refuse fee' revenue. The mayor had previously expressed concern over the cost and necessity of replacing the city's current collection of blue garbage totes, which he says 'are at the end of their useful lives. Those totes are owned by the city and are maintained and repaired by the city's Department of Public Works (DPW). Under the terms of the contract extension, Casella will dispose of the old blue totes and will retain ownership of the new totes for the length of its contract with the city and any additional extensions. The waste removal contractor will also be responsible for the maintenance of the new totes. Restaino said DPW will still be responsible for the maintenance of the city's 96-gallon green recycling totes. But he estimated the DPW's tote repair work would decrease by up to 75%. The mayor cautioned that if the city was required to buy the new totes, it would likely have to fund the purchase by increasing the city's garbage user fee. The original Casella contract replaced an expiring, decades-old agreement with Modern Disposal Services. The Lewiston-based company had handled trash and recycling collection in the Falls since the late 1990s. Modern had been the target of continual complaints about its services from city residents. Council Member Donta Myles (D) said those complaints have increased in the first year of the Casella contract. 'Since they've started, I've got more complaints about totes being torn up and tops of totes being ripped up and never replaced,' Myles said. 'And not picking up all of the trash, leaving totes in the middle of the street when they dump them. Trash falling in the street and they don't pick it up. Extending their contract right now is not valid cause we're getting more complaints right now than we had with Modern.' Myles said that until Casella improved its services, he would not agree to extend its contract. Council Chair James Perry (D) and members Traci Bax (R), Brian Archie (D) and David Zajac (R) voted to approve the extension and tote purchase. The city charges residents a solid waste disposal or 'user' fee to offset the cost of having a private company handle garbage and recyclable collections. The fee, established in 2019 at $181 a year, is billed directly to property owners and must be reauthorized every year as part of the city's budget approval process.
