Sleet and ice! The City Manager's message is to stay home if you can

Dear Residents,

Once again we have strange winter weather. I really wanted a good snowfall and then we could start thinking of spring and flowers, but instead we have accumulating sleet, freezing rain and ice.

Because the temperatures will stay cold, ice will be a problem for several days. Some warmth on Friday afternoon will help, but then there will be a refreeze. Expect dangerous walkways and roads. If you can stay home, please do so.

Our regular Public Works staff are the employees who also treat and plow the streets and clear sidewalks along City facilities when there is a storm. When we have round-the-clock road treatment work, we often need to make adjustments to the trash, recycling and food waste collection schedule. For this storm, there will be NO collections of trash, recycling and food waste today (Thursday). The normal Thursday collection will take place on Saturday. Friday’s collections are expected to take place on Friday, but may be a bit delayed.

Another change is that the Library’s Books-To-Go and Books-To-You delivery program is canceled for today. We hope to be able to provide the services on Friday, but please check before you go.

Please help make the sidewalks safe in front of your homes. Use ice melt or sand – not rock salt! – for areas that are slippery. Please also help your neighbors if you can. The Difference Makers’ Snow Angels program will not be able to help the residents on their service list for this winter event. Their program focuses on the removal of snow, not ice, and the students and coordinator are not available. So, we all need to make a special effort to ensure the safety of our seniors and other community members who may need to go outside for work, doctor’s appointments or food.

As always, please call 301-270-1100 to report slippery conditions so our Public Works crews can be dispatched to address them. Call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency.

And, join with me in thanking our crews! Take a photo of our crews at work and post it on social media or send it to me in an email (SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov).  Also, let me know what we can do better. We want Takoma Park to continue to be the place that handles storms right.

Finally, consider contributing to a legitimate charity to help folks in Texas who are having a simply horrible experience with winter weather, and lack of heat, water and food. I’m not happy with today’s weather here in Takoma Park, but this is nothing in comparison.

Stay safe!

Suzanne