Boston Ready for Winter, Officials Declare

The salt piles are standing tall and the snow plows look brand new. Winter is coming and the city of Boston says it's ready.

Mayor Marty Walsh and other city leaders detailed their preparations for the winter of 2017 Thursday afternoon.

For the front lines, 44,000 tons of salt and more than 140 pieces of city-owned equipment, not to mention the assets of dozens of private contractors, are ready to go.

More than $22 million has been set aside for cleanup. Last year, the snow budget exceeded $38 million.

School was canceled three times last year because of snow. The mayor says he'll try to be careful when it comes to closings, but that he will not jeopardize student safety.

The city is also reminding people of the sometimes-controversial space saver rule. They are only allowed in the event of a snow emergency and must be removed 48 hours after the emergency ends.

Space savers are not permitted in the South End at all.

The city says it plans to do the best it can to make this winter a safe one. But it's also calling on people to keep a careful eye out for themselves and their neighbors when the snow starts falling.

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