Local residents dealt with two winter storms during the past week that brought several inches of snow, along with some sleet, across town.

The first of the two snowstorms came in overnight on Wednesday, February 5, with Newtown receiving three inches of snow overall, according to Public Works General Supervisor Anthony Capozziello. By the next morning, the snow mixed with rain and turned into sleet. Capozziello said the amount of snowfall fell within expectations. He said he and others were more worried about the snow because it was mixing with sleet and creating freezing rain. The concerns were enough to lead to the closure of Newtown Municipal Center and other locations for the day.

“That was the main reason why we closed the Town offices, because of the ice,” Capozziello explained.

Newtown Public Schools, as well as C.H. Booth Library and Newtown Community Center were also among the locations closed due to the weather.

Overnight Snowfall

Comparatively, Capozziello said that the second snowstorm that arrived late on Saturday, February 8, was “a little more significant” and brought six inches of snow overall. It came in around 8 pm, with local crews working through the night and into the next day to handle the inclement weather.

He added they did not have to worry about any school or Town closures because nothing was open on Sunday. Crews finished their road work by Sunday morning.

“All the parking lots were clear by the next day, so we didn’t have to worry about any delays on Monday, or anything like that,” he added.

Capozziello said between the two weather events there were 32 Public Works personnel on the roads, around 12 Parks and Recreation personnel taking care of schools and Town parking lots, and around six maintenance personnel the Board of Education also had help with the schools.

“Everyone pitched in together to take care of the weather,” he said.

Road Conditions & Challenges

Newtown Police Department Lieutenant Scott Smith said there were no accidents due to road conditions from the first storm, adding that there were enough forecasts that led people to stay off the roads. He said there were three accidents and one disabled vehicle from the second storm, however.

Local police officers helped the driver arrange for a tow truck, according to Scott. He said that they remained with the vehicle until the tow truck was able to arrive and get the vehicle safely off the roadway.

“So overall nothing too significant. The storm being overnight and on the weekend probably helped, too,” Smith said.

Capozziello said the snow and sleet did not cause any issues for the roads since Town workers were on top of it. The biggest problem was that they received a lot of complaints about residents or contractors plowing snow from driveways into the roads. Piles of snow left in the road leave unexpected bumps, or berms, that can later freeze.

Capozziello said he received several reports from Town crews who saw that happening all across Newtown. Putting snow on the road and leaving it there can be dangerous for road crews and motorists, he said. That action was the root cause of a car accident on Obtuse Road early Sunday afternoon. Snow pushed from a resident’s driveway into the road reportedly caused someone to lose control of their vehicle after it hit the berm. The vehicle then crashed into a utility pole.

Capozziello said he posted about the situation to a local Facebook group, encouraging people to stop leaving snow in the road. He acknowledged that some driveways are difficult and homeowners have no choice but to push snow into the road, but asked for people to clean up whatever mess they leave behind.

He also warned that the last thing Public Works wants to do is call the police and have people fined.

In a statement from January 2015, Newtown Police said private snowplow drivers and homeowners are legally liable when snow is plowed onto roadways. Based on state law, police said such incidents may result in $50 fines per incident.

The statement continued with police noting that snow plowed onto roadways can also cause them to narrow, leading to travel problems for emergency services personnel. While police said the creation of snow berms is inevitable, they are meant to run parallel to roads, not across them.

Capozziello said while he doesn’t usually post to public Facebook pages, he did so last weekend because snow on the roads “can really cause a dangerous situation.”

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.