Mitchell Says City Prepared for First Winter Storm

The first major snowstorm has finally hit the SouthCoast, and it's leaving plenty of snow behind.

Snow removal crews in New Bedford began making their way through city streets Saturday evening, utilizing some new equipment and technology.

Mayor Jon Mitchell said lessons were learned after last year's major snowstorms and adjustments have been made.

"We made a number of changes that have included new equipment, some new technology and we've upgraded training, Mitchell said. "We've taken a number of smaller steps that I think are going to really pay off."

One noticeable difference the mayor pointed out was the use of magnesium chloride to treat roadways before the snow began to fall. This treatment prevents snow from packing better than traditional road salt.

Another addition to this year's winter weather was an expanded double-sided parking ban along certain major roads.

Mitchell said public safety was at the heart of expanding the ban.

"We want ambulances to be able to travel up and down freely so that people can get to the hospital as they should," Mitchell said. "Public safety is the first order of business and we want to make sure that we make things safe for everybody."

Mitchell said there were no major issues of parking ban enforcement as of Saturday evening.