It's a huge number - more than 12 million.
Unfortunately, it's not cash. It's the weight, in pounds, of tree debris New Canaan's Public Works Department has collected since Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the town back in October.
For many of us, Hurricane Sandy seems like a distant memory - especially considering the dark cloud the other Sandy has recently left hanging over the state - but to New Canaan's Public Works Department, the hurricane is still something being dealt with.
Public Works crews have worked continuously during and after the storm to get New Canaan's roads back to what New Canaan residents are accustomed to. They have worked before, during and after the storm and in concert with police, fire, the Emergency Operations Center and Connecticut Uight & Power to clear roads and ensure residents' safety, which is why the Advertiser chose to highlight Public Works as its department of the year.
A record-breaking storm before Sandy hit the area on Monday, Oct. 29, crews were out clearing catch basins, filling sandbags, fueling generators, checking safety gear, and prepping for the storm's arrival. In addition, Mose Saccary, Public Works superintendent of operations, said mechanics in the highway department kept buckets, hoses and engines maintained through the entire cleanup process. Public Works Director Mike Pastore said before Sandy hit, financial accounts were set up and kept organized so the town could be easily reimbursed by FEMA.
As Sandy swept through, it knocked down enormous trees along the roadways, as well as power to most of the town. More than 400 roads were closed during and for some time after the storm, and Public Works crews spent 12-14 hours a day and Saturdays clearing massive trees and stumps to make roads passable for emergency vehicles.
Overall, 23 Public Works workmen and 20 workers from outside companies were weaving around downed live wires and removing trees so CL&P could begin power restorations. Pastore said his crews also teamed up with CL&P crews and Tree Warden Bruce Pauley to open roads faster.
Building Maintenance, Engineering, Highway, Parks, Transfer Station, Waste Water Treatment, and Storm Water Management departments comprise Public Works. Most employees live out of town, so when a major storm hits, they figure out ways to spend the night - or in many cases several nights - in town. They're known to bunk with friends and co-workers or sleep under desks or in the backs of trucks.
"Just about everybody comes back in town when these big storms hit," Pastore said. "During Sandy, a lot of these guys stayed here even though they had problems at home."
Tiger Mann, Public Works assistant director, who lives about 50 miles from town in Cheshire, made it back home only twice during the first two weeks of Sandy - for Halloween, since he missed it with his three young boys last year due to nor'easter Alfred, and to vote. During the first two weeks of the storm, Mann slept under his desk and at friends and a co-worker's homes.
"It was long. It was hard. And my boys didn't really understand," Mann said, adding that his kids are ages 8, 6 and 2. "They asked, 'Daddy, when are you coming home?' That gets hard, but you have to do your job. But then you come home, and you make it up to them."
Long hours, six-day work weeks and time spent away from family also became the norm for Saccary and the rest of the workmen. But even on little sleep, tedious heavy lifting and aggravation, they stayed positive.
"I can't say enough about what the crews have done," Saccary said. "When we started to look around at all the damage, somebody said 'the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time,' and that's what we did."
After last year's Tropical Storm Irene, the town had collected 1, 267 tons of debris and 1, 612 tons after Alfred. The transfer station has been tasked with dealing with the more than 6, 000 tons of debris that Sandy has left.
"Kudos should go to Jim Rogers and Don Smith at the transfer station," Saccary said. "They've been able to handle 6, 600 tons of debris. And we're close to done."
Other projects
When Sandy hit, Public Works was in the middle of its annual leaf cleanup around town. Rather than collecting leaves multiple times throughout the week, crews were able to get out only once due to Sandy. But they still got it done.
Another monumental task the department has been involved with is the move out of the old Town Hall building on Main Street to temporary offices at the Police Department on South Avenue and the Walter Stewart's office space on Elm Street. Bill Oestmann, superintendent of buildings and fleet, has been a liaison for that project as well as between the town and FEMA for Sandy reimbursement.
The department also completed a $1 lmillion dollar project to replace the roofs at the New Canaan Nature Center, the Powerhouse Theatre at Waveny and the police headquarters. It began the construction of a new bus operations facility behind the high school, and hopes to remove the two trailers on Farm Road shortly.
In addition, and after a long time coining, the department just completed the sidewalks on Main Street this past summer. After two years of contention, debates and a referendum, the project is finally complete, and Mann said he has received a lot of praise on the way it looks.
"I think it looks beautiful," he said. "It came out really nice. People continue to comment that it brought the neighborhoods together and that it's a good thing."
The department is also replacing Mariomi bridge, which is expected to be finished in the spring, and completed the Hickcock Road bridge in May. Crews also paved and are working on maintaining various roads throughout town.
"We were able to maintain the rest of what we were supposed to do even though Sandy took away the last third of the year for us," Mann said. "We were still able to finish up projects and button up the town before the winter. Our men did a fantastic job. It's very hard to stay focused months after an event is over. Most people can put it aside and go back about their lives, but there is still a group of men that have to go out and take care of what is left from months ago."
