Updated at 4:15pm on February 13, 2013: The Hartford Public Schools are scheduled to re-open tomorrow, February 14th, with a one-hour delay.
Parents, you can all rejoice.
Updated at 6:30 pm on February 12, 2013: Mayor Segarra says, “We have approximately 550 streets and 500 curbside miles in Hartford and as of right now they are all passable, meaning emergency vehicles and cars can get in and out.”
The parking ban will be lifted at noon on February 13th for downtown. Vehicles were already parking illegally on Main Street this afternoon. [Note: The Courant is reported a different time for the parking ban lift. The time reported on Real Hartford is coming straight from a City of Hartford press release]
In a press release from the City of Hartford, it is stated that the parking ban will be lifted in the neighborhoods at midnight on February 13, 2013.
Vehicles parked in school lots need to be moved before 6a.m. on February 14th, as it is expected that the Hartford Public Schools will reopen on Thursday.
The Emergency Operations Center is slated to close at noon tomorrow.
Updated at 4:40pm on February 12, 2013:
All of Hartford Public Schools will be closed again tomorrow, Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
The Hartford Public Schools have had to contend with a series of concerns complicated by the slow snow removal from sidewalks and streets. Besides checking the structural safety of roofs, it’s been necessary to ensure that children can safely access bus stops. Anyone who has walked around Hartford since the storm can attest to the fact that there are few, if any, curb cuts in certain areas, meaning that pedestrians have to either climb over huge mounds of snow or walk in the roadway. As of Tuesday morning, the sidewalk on Lawrence Street around the Maria Sanchez School had not been cleared. Some schools lots continue to be used by neighborhood residents due to the ongoing parking ban.
Updated 8pm, 11 Feb 13: To date, the City of Hartford has towed 214 vehicles and issued around 540 tickets for those not abiding by the parking ban, which is still in effect.
A message from Maribel La Luz, on behalf of Mayor Segarra, states “Residents should stay off the roads unless it’s a public health or safety emergency.”
Updated 3pm, 11 Feb 13: Hartford Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, February 12, 2013.
Updated 9:15am, 11 Feb 13: The Mayor says that all “A Routes” are “passable.” He says that 80% of side streets are passable. There are out-of-state contractors coming with heavy equipment.
Meanwhile, we are hearing from an anonymous source in City Hall that the plowing delays were not due to the cold, as was stated in official messages, but because the City did not want to pay overtime to workers; thus, much of the snow removal was delayed until the City could ensure that the State of Connecticut would be chipping in toward snow removal costs. Treat that information as you would from any source selecting to remain anonymous.
Updated: 4pm, 10 Feb 13: Hartford Public Schools and City offices will be closed tomorrow, Monday. A message from the Cityof Hartford claims the goals is to have all side streets cleared by tomorrow morning, but the same press release indicates that it has taken approximately 90 minutes for two trucks and a payloader to clean these side streets. Without the payloader, it takes around six hours.
The message states that the City has “towed 189 vehicles and issued approximately 330 snow ban parking tickets.”
All power outages in Hartford have been restored.
Updated: 11:40am, 10 Feb 13: There were conflicting reports yesterday about the Governor’s travel ban, but this has been cleared up. It was lifted as of 4pm yesterday.
There continues to be a ban on parking on-street in Hartford.
Updated: 11:25am, 10 Feb 13: The City of Hartford’s Fire Department has provided information about the streets that are supposed to be cleared today:
Here are the routes presently being worked on:
• 1S: Victoria, Montowese, Bolton, Goodrich, Fenwick, Brunswick, Chaplin
• 2S: Ansonia, Cheshire, Monroe, Hillside, Belridge, Torwood, Bates, Roger, Humphrey, Cheshire
• 3S: Sherbrooke, Margarita, Natick, Dart, Stafford, Windham, Grant, Nepaug, Clermont
• 4S: Essex, Morris, Pawtucket, Elliot, Bond, Redding, Otis, Gilman, Douglas, Clarendon
• 5S: Granview, Henry, West Preston, King, Mountford, Ellsworth, Crescent, Brownell, Allen, Affleck
• 6S: Brookfield, Coleman, Westbrook, Grafton, Hughes, Allendale, Arnold, Bonner, Ward
• 7S: Huyshope, Masseek, Van Block, Curcombe, Norwich, Lisbon, Stonington
• 9S: Beacon, Warrenton, Hazel, Arbor, Olive, Rose, Belmont, Madison, Amity, Chadwick
• 10S: Sanford, Wooster, Donald, Bethel, Center, Chesnut, Mather, Pliny, Liberty, Bedford, Green, Belden
• 12S: Westerly Terrace, Beacon, Oxford, Sherman, Fern, Cone, Girard, Owen
• 14S: Westwinster, Pembroke, Dillon, Chatham, Garfield, Canterbury, Baltimore
Updated: 5:30pm, 9 Feb 13: The City of Hartford, in a press release, states that “Mayor Pedro E. Segarra has requested additional plows and assistance from the State of Connecticut to clear city streets.” Citing blizzard conditions as the reason for plowing operations being stalled overnight, the Mayor says he is, “concerned about the freezing temperatures tonight and how that will impact our efforts.”
Updated: 5:15pm, 9 Feb 13: The Hartford Fire Department has released the names of streets that they expect to be plowed today (spelling errors are theirs):
Maple, White, Wethersfield, Franklin, Campfield, Brown, Linmoore, Freeman, South, Washington, Retreat, Webster, New Britain, Newington, Broad, Fairfield, Flatbush, Shorty, Newfield, Overlook, Dexter, Capital, Park, New Park, Merrill, Kane, Hamilton, Zion, Summitt, College Terr, Asylum, Prospect, Farmington, Flower, Asylum, West Blvd, Sisson, South Whitney, Whitney, Scarborough, Woodland, Homestead, Walnut, Cogswell, Garden, Collins, Sigourney, Laurel, Hawthorne, Park Terr. Pope Park, Tower, Holcomb, Coventry, E. Burnham, Burnham, Granby, Cornwall, Palm, Lyme, Plainfield, Mark Twain, Westbourne Pkwy, Ridgefield, Trumbull, Market, Windsor, Main, Sunset,Midland, Violet, St. Monica, Fishfry, Barbour, Garden, Westland, Vine, Capen, Asylum, Union, Church,Trumbull, Ann, High, Ford, Pearl, Chapel N/S, Pratt, Allyn, Footguard Pl, Hoadley, Trinity, Elm, Wells, Jewell, Gold, Lewis, Haynes, Hicks, Columbus, Wyllys, Charter Oak, Popilewsko, Prospect, State, Central , American, Arch, Sheldon, Taylor, Grove, Market, Kinsley, Temple, Talcott, Charles, Pleasant, Pequot, Market, Winthop, Ely, Jennings, Liebert, West Service, Weston, Rev Moody, Boce Barlow, Fishfry, Savitt, New Road, Fischer.
Updated: 11:30am, 9 Feb 13: Governor Malloy has ordered all roads in Connecticut closed to vehicles until further notice, excepting those used by emergency response and recovery. He said that unless you have an emergency, don’t travel. An emergency, by the way, is not driving around to take footage for the evening news.
Updated: 7:00pm, 7 Feb 13: We have entered the fun part of the program when the City begins to contradict its previous messages. The emergency operations center will open tomorrow morning at 9 instead of 11.
The penalties for irresponsible use of a motor vehicle have also been changed. The new numbers being thrown out: $98 towing fee plus a $99 City fine. Motor vehicles left parked on Hartford’s streets past 7 Friday morning are at risk of towing and ticketing.
A message from the City of Hartford now states that residents can move their vehicles into the Morgan Street Garage for free off-street parking after 10 this evening. Vehicles can be moved into the public school lots at any time.
Updated: 5:40p.m., 7 Feb 13: Hartford Public Schools will be closed on Friday, February 8, 2013.
Updated: 12:40p.m., 7 Feb 13: The City of Hartford has announced that residents may also use the Morgan Street Garage for free parking during the parking ban.
Updated: 12 noon, 7 Feb 13: No parking will be allowed on any of Hartford’s streets after 7a.m. on Friday, February 8, 2013. This will remain in effect until further notice. Those who choose to ignore the ban may win fabulous prizes like a $108 fine, plus a $99 ticket and the vehicle may also be towed.
Hartford’s City parks will close at dusk this evening and remain closed through the storm and until safety checks have been completed.
The transfer station will be closed on Friday and Saturday.
Original notice: Using Twitter, Mayor Segarra has announced that the Emergency Operations Center will open at 11 on Friday morning. The Community Emergency Response Teams are on standby.
There will be a parking ban, with the specific time to be announced later. When such a ban is in effect, motorists may temporarily use public school lots for their parking needs. Those vehicles are expected to be moved before the schools reopen.
After the snow stops, residents are expected to clear sidewalks. Hartford’s municipal code states:
The tenant, occupant, owner or agent of any premises abutting upon any street or public place in the City where there is a sidewalk graded, paved or planked, shall cause all snow to be removed from such sidewalk within six (6) hours after it has fallen, been deposited or found, or within three (3) hours after sunrise when the snow has fallen in the nighttime.
If you have forgotten how to deal with winter in New England, visit the Real Hartford archives.
Information updates, as needed, will appear at the top.
Gabrielle
Wondering how long the parking ban is in effect. I have my car at the high school and don’t want it to get towed from there once they need to plow the school lot….
Kerri Provost
There hasn’t been any specific information released about that. When the parking ban is announced as being lifted, residents are expected to remove vehicles from the public school lots.
When more info is available, it’ll be posted.