Sunday Night Winter Storm Update From the City Manager
From Suzanne Ludlow, City Manager of Takoma Park
Sunday, January 24, 2016 8:00 PM
Dear Residents,
Wow, what a lot of snow to shovel!
Our snowplowing crews are still working around the clock on 12-hour shifts. Today they were joined by other staff and contractors to clear smaller roads and begin clearing sidewalks along public property, crosswalks and sidewalk ramps. Those efforts will continue tomorrow and for several days.
People all across the city were out clearing sidewalks and driveways. I give a HUGE thanks to the Snow Angels and other volunteers who helped those who were not able to do their own shoveling. What a wonderful service to the community!
As our snowplows continue to work to clear the entire width of the streets, we will continue to block in driveways – a real sore point to people who are already sore from shoveling. However, with the amount of snow we received, and our narrow streets and densely built community, this will continue to occur. It’s the only way we will get the roads safe to travel on again. So, if your road is not yet cleared from curb to curb, expect more road clearing and more snow in front of driveways.
City Offices Closed Monday
Like other area jurisdictions, our offices and facilities will remain closed on Monday because of the difficulty with regional transportation.
Trash & Recycling Collection
There will be no yard waste collection on Monday. On Tuesday, we may not have trash, recycling and food waste collection. Please check the City’s website late Monday if your normal collection day is Tuesday. The County’s transfer station is closed and we don’t know if it will be open on Tuesday.
Sidewalk Clearing Laws
The City’s laws requiring clearing of sidewalks remain suspended for several more days. I’ll give at least 48 hours notice via the website and social media before we begin enforcement. In the meantime, please try to do what you can to clear sidewalks in front of your property. It is obvious when snowplows have deposited snow on sidewalks and we will take that into consideration when we do finally begin enforcing the sidewalk clearing law.
I am hoping that only one more “Winter Storm Message from the City Manager” will be required, and I can return to the rest of my job. Thanks to the many messages you have been sending. Please feel free to contact me even when there isn’t a storm!
Best,
Suzanne Ludlow
City Manager
Email: SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov
Phone: 301-891-7229
