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With Uncertain Snow Forecast, Lititz Prepares for the Worst

By on January 20, 2016
Ready the snowblower, the big storm is coming! Or is it? Local forecasts, as of our Wednesday morning press time, range from a few inches to a few feet.

Ready the snowblower, the big storm is coming! Or is it? Local forecasts, as of our Wednesday morning press time, range from a few inches to a few feet.

Talk of the approaching storm has been building throughout the week, and while no one knows for sure whether Lititz is in for three inches or three feet, memories of the Blizzard of ‘96 and the 22 inches it brought to town, have diminished the decades of separation.

Regardless of what actually happens Friday and Saturday, local public works departments are set for the snow.

“We’re ready to go,” said Doug Minney, who runs Lititz Public Works along with Andy Garner.

The borough’s crew of seven has seven trucks and 80 tons of salt on hand to maintain 36 miles of roadway.

Eighty tons of snow-melting salt is enough for two or three storms, by the way.

Plow operators urge residents to get vehicles off of the streets during the storm, if possible. This allows the borough trucks to plow up to the curb line. They also ask that people avoid shoveling snow into the streets.

Minney praised the overall support of the public and said most people are cooperative during storms. In fact, he said, some residents bring hot chocolate and cookies out to the drivers, which is a nice pick-me-up on an otherwise long, cold day.

Over in neighboring Warwick Township, Dean Saylor heads a crew of seven full-time crew members, two part-timers, and three seasonal employees who collectively cover 89 miles of road.

“We also have a local farmer who plows for us, with a tractor, in larger events,” said Saylor.

Roads with steep grades and roads with high traffic volumes are challenges for plow drivers, along with exposed areas prone to drifts.

“The wind is definitely what I like the least,” he added. “It just wipes out all of our hard work.”

Glenn Martin, road superintendent for Elizabeth Township, echoes Saylor’s sentiments on the wind, adding that the times of day the storm starts and stops are also big factors in clearing the roads.

“Traffic, sunshine and temperature are all mixed in to how well we do,” said Martin. “We’ll be ready if the weather man gets it right or not.”

Elizabeth has two full-time road crew personnel, an on-call part-time operator, and sometimes a township supervisor pitches in if the storm is bad enough.

“Sounds like the potential is there for a bigger event, so we will make sure all the equipment is ready to go,” he said. “Chains, plows, etc. We basically prepare the same for a two inch snow as we would for a 10 inch snow.”

The depth of the snow does make a difference for local firefighters, who depend on the public to help keep hydrants clear on all sides.

“Even if the hydrant is not on your property, please help by clearing the snow from the nearest hydrant,” said Duane Ober, administrator for the Warwick Emergency Services Commission (WESC). “It could be your house you are helping to protect!”

Ober said snowmobiles are often a forgotten need as well.

“In the event of a large snow fall, there are times that snowmobiles could be of great use to the emergency services,” he explained. “Snowmobiles can be used to rush medical personnel to the scene of an emergency, they could be used to gain access into areas that aren’t plowed yet, they could be used to transport critical medical staff to and from hospitals, and they could be used by a fire chief to respond ahead of his crew to determine if fire trucks are needed. This helps prevent unnecessary travel of emergency vehicles in dangerous road conditions.”

The reason fire companies don’t have their own snowmobiles, he added, is because their use would be infrequent.

Any resident with an available snowmobile, or those willing to personally aid emergency services with a snowmobile during a storm, can contact Ober at 224-0114.

Stephen Seeber is the associate editor of the Record Express. Send your storm observations and photos to him at sseeber.eph@lnpnews.com.

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