Long before Methuen's center is awake, the lots are the first ground to be cleared, and Square Services is out in them at four in the morning with headlights sweeping empty pavement. Snow work here starts with lots and driveways pushed clean, then walkways opened and treated so nobody's first step of the day lands on ice. Storms climb the Merrimack valley and stall right over the city, and the answer is simply coming back, again, until the snow quits and the last pass holds. Banks get stacked where they will not blind a driver pulling out. By the time coffee is on, the pavement is dark and wet and the day can start on schedule.