County officials were there to listen. And thanks to the myriad of concerns expressed by residents, there was plenty of listening to do.
At an informal public forum on Arlington’s proposed snow removal ordinance, a group of about 30 residents took turns dissecting every possible facet of the two-page statute.
There are several very good options for people who want to get out of their house or apartment and do something tonight:
As always, see our events calendar for lots more to do this weekend.
The Hagerstown incident caused a “public outcry” that forced the city to ease up on enforcement, the Associated Press reported at the time. A photo of the elderly couple in Frederick, which ran in a local newspaper, is a classic study in bad PR.
Arlington is now considering a snow removal ordinance similar to the statutes in place in Hagerstown and Frederick. The proposed ordinance has garnered headlines like “Arlington Proposes Criminal Charges for Unneighborly Snow Shovelers” and “Arlington Says Clear Your Sidewalks or Pay Up.” Clearly, history risks repeating itself.
Heavy Rains Bring Flooding — Persistent, often heavy rain made for a miserable weekend weather-wise. But the real misery is happening in nearby Alexandria, where part of Old Town is under more than a foot of water. More from NBC4.
Board Passes Temporary Snow Removal Ordinance — The Arlington County Board passed a 60-day emergency snow removal ordinance by a vote of 3-2. Dissenting board members Jay Fisette and Barbara Favola joined the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in questioning why an ordinance should be rushed into law, saying it will be difficult to enforce in the unlikely event that Arlington gets a significant snowfall between now and May.
The Arlington County Board voted this morning to enact an emergency snow removal ordinance. The measure is effective immediately and will remain in effect for 60 days.
The ordinance requires businesses to clear sidewalks in commercial districts after a snowfall of more than two inches. This is the first time that Arlington has enacted such a requirement. It does not apply to residential areas or to persons over the age of 65.
Planes Clip Wings at Reagan National Airport — Two US Airways were involved in a minor collision while on the tarmac at Reagan National Saturday morning. Nobody was injured, but both planes were taken out of service and passengers were booked on other flights. More from ABC7.
Arlington Spent $5 Million on Snow Removal — Arlington County spent $5 million on snow removal this winter, five times the normal snow removal budget. No word yet on how much of the budget went to the contractors who helped keep streets passable during February’s big snow storms. More from the Sun Gazette.
The measures were proposed by board member Chris Zimmerman, who cited numerous examples of snow still covering sidewalks on busy Arlington streets.
Board chairman Jay Fisette and board member Barbara Favola voted, unsuccessfully, to remove consideration of the temporary ordinance from Zimmerman’s resolution.
To help speed up the work already being done by mother nature, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority says it will be plowing the remaining snow from the W&OD trail this week. People Powered Arlington has more details.
On a related note, snow and downed tree branches are apparently still a major problem on Theodore Roosevelt Island’s trails. Check out the photos on We Love DC.
Update on 2/18 – Several public works crews were out on Military Road today. A police officer was posted at Military Road and 26th Road this afternoon to help Taylor Elementary students cross the street.
Huge boulders of ice, snow and road filth cover the sidewalks along Military Road in the Donaldson Run section of Arlington, near Taylor Elementary School, forcing pedestrians to walk dangerously close to fast-moving traffic on the busy commuter route.
We learned that the county received emergency support from the state in advance of Wednesday’s blizzard. Eight front end loader and 16 operators arrived from Richmond Monday night.
We also learned who was driving all those dump trucks and other heavy equipment, seen on main corridors during the height of the storms. Starting on Friday, on the eve of Snowmageddon, the county contracted with the following companies to provide snow removal services: DHC Corporation, Bell Brothers, Inc., Rock Hard Contracting, Inc., Sagres Construction, Inc., Martin & Gass, Inc., and DRC Emergency Services, LLC.
Arlington’s snow removal crews are heading back into the neighborhoods to finish what they started (and what they did not start) on Monday. From the county’s web site:
Arlington’s snow crews worked overnight following yesterday’s blizzard conditions to clear primary and secondary roadways. Today, trucks are beginning to move into neighborhood streets. The snow operations team will work to prioritize streets that were not plowed or treated following the February 5th storm, but please note crews must pass through and clear some previously plowed streets in order to reach these unplowed streets.
Although Alexandria, the District and Montgomery County, Md. stopped plowing during the height of today’s blizzard, Arlington crews kept trucking. County snow removal crews were slowed down due to high winds and low visibility, but they did not stop their effort to keep main roadways passable, according to Department of Environmental Services spokesperson Myllisa Kennedy.
Due to the fact that it will take several days to clear neighborhood roads, the county has decided to suspend trash collection service for the rest of the week. Trash collection will resume Monday.
