By Cary Shuman
Everett’s Executive Director of City Services Robert “Bob” Knox saw the weather forecasts for a major snowstorm and reacted precisely and accordingly. And the TV meteorologists proved to be right on the mark again as a blizzard dropped around 18 inches of snow on Everett Sunday and Monday.
“We had our DPW staff in around 7 o’clock [Sunday] and the contractors came in at around 11 p.m.,” said Knox. “The heavy snow arrived after midnight, so we wanted to be prepared with our routes and assignments. It wasn’t an easy storm to manage with the wind (estimated at 60 mph) and the snow and the duration of storm. We salted the hills around the hospital (CHA Everett Hospital) and the main streets, and then we went right into a plowing operation when it started to snow.”
Knox credited the Everett Police Department for its assistance in removing vehicles from streets.
“We put the snow emergency [Sunday at 9 a.m.) on early, and we had fewer cars towed than the previous storm [on Jan. 26),” said Knox. “The police went around with the bullhorns, and we got a pretty good response from residents compared to the previous snowstorm.”
While Knox, in coordination with Mayor Robert Van Campen, was leading his first snow operations effort in Everett since officially taking the executive director’s position on Feb. 2, he had brought 32 years of valuable experience and exceptional leadership from the Malden DPW where he “oversaw streets, utilities, parks, snow removal, and essential city services, earning recognition for his hands-on leadership and strong community commitment,” according to the announcement for his new position in Everett.
Knox said he was very pleased with the work of his department.
“Our staff has been excellent. They did a great job as did our contractors. And our supervisors, Scotty Martinelli and Kevin Noonan, have done an incredible job managing this storm.”
Van Campen tours Everett,
praises DPW,
first responders
Mayor Van Campen, who was in constant communication with Knox, braved the wintry elements and visited parts of the city during the storm.
“I went out and saw the conditions,” said Van Campen. “Our DPW crews, our first responders, our public safety folks – they did incredible work fighting through the storm. This was one of the more challenging storms in a long time.”
Van Campen was appreciative that residents, for the most part, obeyed the parking ban.
“The parking ban seems to have provided some relief as the people of Everett found alternative parking when they had to move their vehicles,” said Van Campen. “Because of their cooperation, we were able to navigate our snow operations a little more easily, given that there were fewer cars on the streets.”
Van Campen was also in touch with Superintendent of Schools William Hart who closed the Everett schools Monday and Tuesday. The Everett City Council and Everett School Committee meetings, set for Monday and Tuesday respectively, were canceled.
Van Campen closed all municipal offices at City Hall Monday, but the hub of city government was up and running Tuesday morning for regular business hours.
As cleanup operations continued Tuesday, Van Campen said, “I ask the people of Everett for patience as we work on removing snow from high-profile, critical parts of our community so we can free up parking, pedestrian access, and our local economy. If residents have an issue, they should report it to 311, so that we can address the issue as quickly as possible.”
Van Campen also asked residents, if they are able, “to clean out the hydrants and please clear the sidewalks in front of your houses and crosswalks if the city hasn’t gotten to it yet – just good neighbor stuff.”
The good news is that spring is only three weeks away, officially beginning on March 20. And in another sign that spring is around the corner, the Boston Red Sox open their 2026 season on March 26 in Cincinnati.