By now, you have surely heard about the possibility for significant snow in the forecast for this weekend. Here at the Town Office, we are busy preparing for what the storm may bring and want you to know what to expect.
Saturday Closures: Sipe Center will be closed all day on Saturday due to our rescheduled concert. Generations Park Ice Rink will open at 12:00 noon on Saturday, and we will announce if closure becomes necessary. The Recycle Center will be open as usual on Saturday, 8:00 am – 12:00 noon.
Sunday Closures: We will make a decision on whether to close Sipe Center and the Ice Rink for Sunday as we are able to evaluate the snow’s impact and announce it here on the Buzz.
Snow Removal: Our plowing crew will be working around the clock to keep the roads as clear as possible. Their first priority will be the main thoroughfares (Main Street and Dinkel Ave) so that emergency vehicles have a path. Once those are clear, they will work on the secondary streets throughout town. During the storm (Saturday evening-Sunday evening), the crew will focus on keeping a travel lane clear so that a single vehicle can come or go. Once the storm has stopped (Sunday evening-Monday afternoon), they will begin making that lane wider to restore two-way traffic. As we clear the roads, we will begin to focus on lower priorities such as sidewalks and parks late Monday and into Tuesday and Wednesday.
Road Salt: Do not be surprised if it seems like we are using less salt than you would expect. Salt is less effective in extremely low temperatures such as are forecast. With that said, we will still use salt as needed.
Make Room for Snowplows: Please do not park on the street if it is at all possible to park elsewhere. This storm will likely bring more snow than we have seen in recent years, so it is even more important that our plows have unobstructed roads. With the potential for heavy snowfall, your car may become buried under the snow being pushed and become a hazard to our plows. Avoid unnecessary travel when crews are clearing snow and ice. Do not attempt to pass snowplows, and stay at least 100 feet behind them. Our crews do the best they can, but occasionally mistakes happen. If you notice a road sign or mailbox that has been hit, please give us a call at (540) 908-4212 so that we can fix it.
Clearing Snow: When you clear snow from your driveway, it is generally best to pile it down-traffic (to the right of the driveway as you face the road; if you pile it to the left, our plows are most likely to push the pile back into your driveway as they widen the travel lanes and ruin your hard work).
Trash Service: We do not have any word yet from Waste Management as to how the weather may or may not affect next week’s trash service. Service may be delayed a day (or even several days) depending on the severity of the snowfall. Please stay tuned to the Buzz for an update as we receive that information from them. In the meantime, please do not set out your cart(s) as they will interfere with our plowing crew’s ability to clear the roads.
Snow Day Movie: We will not be able to offer a snow day movie at Sipe Center on Monday. If schools are closed on Tuesday, we hope to be able to show a family movie. Stay tuned to the Buzz for more details.
Power Outage: In the case of a general power outage, we will send out information about emergency shelter.
What You Can Do to Help: In summary, here are the ways you can help our crew to bring all of us safely through this storm.
- Park off-street if at all possible.
- Do not put your trash cart in the street until we have confirmed when trash service will run.
- Avoid unnecessary travel while our plowing crew is out at work.
- If you must travel, stay at least 100 feet behind the plows.
- Check on your neighbors, and help them out as needed.
- Check the Buzz for more updates.
Even if our office is closed over the weekend, we are around to help. You can call (540) 908-4212 at any time.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience during this snowstorm! Stay tuned to the Buzz for updates.