While We Are Sleeping
By Sandy Balayan
April 2025
While the town of Otis is fast asleep, Highway Department Superintendent Derek Poirier is wide awake monitoring the weather reports and radar for each forecasted winter storm. He has to take several weather models into consideration before deciding his course of action. As we all know, this winter has been a bit challenging and we must recognize that each storm brings its own unique set of circumstances. It is up to Derek to figure out what the best course of action will be. After 23 years working in the Otis Highway Department, and being Superintendent for the last 11 years, it is Derek’s call that shapes the response to each and every weather event.
Born in Holyoke and moving to Otis as an infant, Derek is settled into Otis now as a married father and loves what he does. “I truly love my job and love being able to serve my hometown. Otis is a wonderful place to live and work. I love the wilderness, the water, and the woods and feel the deep sense of community that Otis offers. It is a wonderful place to live,” says Derek.
Some Highway Department equipment ready for snow - Photo: Derek Poirier
With over 45 miles of public roads to be tended to, Derek stays very busy. Of the 45 miles, roughly half is gravel and half is paved. Either way, maintaining roads is a full time job because it truly affects the public’s safety and convenience. “My response to storms has to be as precise and efficient as possible. We start work at 3:00 a.m. to begin to get a handle on the conditions and to be sure school buses and vehicles needing to get to work or emergencies will be able to drive as safely as possible. I watch the weather models a week in advance and remain on top of it almost hourly as the storms approach. I am always planning my next move. Do I pre-treat with salt? Do I sand? A wrong decision can be criticized by people, but I have to trust my instincts and experience and do what I believe to be the best course for the safety of our town.”
Route 23 and Route 8 are maintained by the State of Massachusetts DOT, but the rest is up to Derek and his crew who run three trucks on three different routes. The routes are determined logically, meaning higher volume areas are plowed first, then the most residential heavy areas, then the lesser traveled and populated areas. The challenge is heightened when the storms involve freezing rain and ice. Even if it is dangerous, Derek and his dedicated crew are out insuring our safety. They can put in 10-14 hour days for each storm and they do whatever they have to do until the job is done.
There are rarely any complaints, but Derek fields the individual calls personally. He wants people to understand that they are doing the best they can and when he has to make a call, i.e. salting roads, and then the weather warms up unexpectedly, that he made the decision he made based on the statistics and meteorological predictions for the public’s safety. It is not an error on his part, it’s a calculated risk he takes and he always errs on the side of safety. Weather predictions are not always accurate but Derek must react in an educated and prudent way as our roads are in his hands.
The people of Otis thank Derek and his crew and your reporter wishes to also add, in my personal experience having lived in Otis for 20 years, our snow removal is the best around, and it is quite noticeable at every town line as you pass into Otis. Thank you from me and all the community for keeping us safe and keeping our roads in such great shape. On that note, any questions or concerns you might have can be answered by Derek at (413) 269-0106, or if it is a matter of an emergency road condition, call Berkshire County Dispatch at (413) 445-4559 and they will get the message to the highway department. Keep up the good work and kudos to Derek and his crew!
