Blizzard Feb. 1-2 , 2011 - Cleanup Continues

Work will continue clearing A-B garage roofs and dormers of excess snow, and snow removal equipment will be on site beginning today, to remove excess snow from piles, clear fire hydrants, etc.

Management has advised that it was decided that laying additional snow melt yesterday was considered unnecessary.

This photo, taken at dusk on Briarcliffe, shows the condition of that street, and also one of the many piles of snow along it.  The tall piles of snow makes visibility uncertain.

Conditions are to remain below 31F until February 12, per the weather service. This is good news, as a sudden melt of snow would have serious consequences. Of course, all of that snow will melt at some time, and we have no control over how rapidly that will occur. So work now will also shift to include preparation for the day that temperatures do rise above 40F.

Management has assured me that our crews will be clearing sewer openings, etc. to provide a path for water to flow, when that melting does begin. Such clearing may not occur until excess quantities of snow are removed.

Wheaton and nearby communities continue to dig out. A friend who lives in a town home in a nearby community reported that her street and parking areas were finally cleared of snow yesterday at 10:00am. She had no been able to go anywhere until that time. She'll be returning to work today, Friday February 4.  This too occurred in Wheaton, where digging out cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets began on Thursday morning. It is unclear if the city's 300+ cul-de-sacs were completed yesterday. Wheaton faced the same problem we all did, because deep drifts made pushing snow impossible.

The only reason BLMH had cleared streets on Wednesday morning was the diligence and efforts of our snow removal company, who I understand worked continuously through the night to assure that the snow remained at manageable levels. Should you doubt this, I saw drifts, sometimes reaching 6 ft. and those would have also been in our streets.

To provide a personal note concerning the problems faced by others, I will relate that my office building, which did not get plowing until Wednesday morning, had parking lot drifts of 5 ft in height with a length of 130 ft. This made snow removal on the driveway along the side of the building and providing rear parking lot access, impossible to push. The front of the building and it's lot was cleared on Wednesday morning. However, we began digging out the side and rear yesterday, and will complete that process today.

Here's the current (as of 7:00am today) Wheaton press release:

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Update on Road Conditions and Snow Removal Efforts

WHEATON, Ill. – The City’s primary and secondary road systems have been cleared of snow. Many of the street surfaces remain snow-packed, and the City urges you to use caution when driving on the roadways.

Last evening, the Public Works Department began addressing the City’s 300+ cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets. The effort on these streets consists of attempting to make an access route down the cul-de-sacs and dead-ends for residents living on these streets. The City’s snow plow equipment has not been effective in this snow removal effort, which has required the Public Works Department to utilize its four front-end loaders and two backhoes to create access on the cul-de-sacs and dead-ends.

In the City’s Central Business District, street access is available but parking is limited due to the snow stacking that has occurred in the parking areas. This evening, the Public Works Department will begin a snow removal operation within the Central Business District, starting in the core of the district and working outward. The City anticipates this effort will require several days to complete due to the volume of the snow. During the next several days, therefore, the City encourages residents traveling into the Central Business District to park their vehicles within the parking garage.

Over the next several days, the Public Works Department will also begin a snow removal operation at various intersections within the community where the radius of the intersection has been reduced due to the volume of snow.

### End of Press release

Comments, Corrections, Omissions, References

Note 1. I hope to get back to "normal" today. Work at the office was sporadic yesterday, and a volleyball game scheduled at Wheaton College, which my spouse and I were to attend, was cancelled. 
Note 2. I understand at least one resident were irritated by the fact that management was not in their offices, bright and early on Wednesday morning, to discuss our personal wants, needs and desires. Our emergency telephone service was functional throughout the storm, and I am unaware of any true emergencies for residents, that were the responsibility of the association.