Government Weather/Environment  

County leaders provide update on services like snow removal, trash pickup

As residents dig and scrape themselves out of this weekend’s storm, county employees continue to provide services like plowing, housing for unsheltered people and mass transportation.

Clearing the Roads

Monday night, County officials provided an update on their efforts. Forty hours after the storm, about 500 pieces of equipment with accompanying crews have been clearing streets. Another 100 employees are supporting them by loading salt into the trucks and working in the office to manage efforts, explained Chris Conklin, director of the county’s department of transportation.

“This is the largest storm we’ve had probably in a decade,” said Rich Madaleno, county chief administrative officer. “Broadly speaking, our message is be patient with us.”

As of about 7 p.m. Monday, 1,100 lane miles of roads had been cleared and “are all open and passable,” he said. Most of that plowing concerns major roadways.

Although passable, Conklin said, “You need to be extra cautious when you are driving,” as conditions and visibility changes.

Mass Transportation

RideOn buses ran about 75% of its regular weekday service and remain operating on an S schedule Tuesday.

Roughly 1,100 bus stops had been cleared Monday. Another 4,000 still need to be cleared.

“This snow is thick. It’s heavy. It’s hard to move,” he said.

Clearing Neighborhood Roadways

Department of Transportation personnel worked “full force to get rid of the snowbanks” located by businesses, especially in Wheaton, Bethesda and Silver Spring, Conklin said. Trucks spent much of the night hauling away snow to spots where drivers and pedestrians won’t be affected.

Crews began clearing neighborhood streets Monday morning and made a pass through about half of them by the end of the day, he said. The trucks will return and totally clear the roads once all roads have received a basic plowing.

The first pass throughout the county streets should be completed by the end of the day Tuesday, Conklin said.

Trash and Recycling Pickup

Trash and recycling will be picked up starting Tuesday morning, and everyone’s trash day will slide back one day, as it does for a Monday holiday. Residents are advised to clear their containers of ice and snow and make them accessible to the workers.

“Our priority is safety and timely service,” said Jennifer Macedonia, director of the Department of Environmental Protection. She urged residents to “be salt wise,” and not use too much as it ends up in the waterways.

Sidewalks Deadline Extended

Council President Natali Fani-González reminded residents that recovering from this storm “takes a village.” She urged people to clear their sidewalks and areas around fire hydrants and look after their neighbors.

Normally after a snowstorm has ended, residents have 24 hours to clear the sidewalk. This time, the county will extend that to 48 hours. Sidewalks should be passable by Tuesday evening.

Help for the Unsheltered

Besides clearing the roadways, county employees are working hard to bring unsheltered inside. During the weekend, the county filled 610 beds. Normal for this time is 346 filled beds, said Christine Hong, chief of services to end and prevent homelessness in the county.

Another 110 families also were provided shelter, she said.

Many of the unsheltered agreed to come inside, which is not always the case, she said, adding that workers “saved lives.”

She thanked the Salvation Army for providing food, and the Red Cross for giving out blankets.

Anyone needing a place to go inside to stay warm, should go to local libraries and recreation centers, a mall or one of the county’s warming shelters, which are located at the county’s homeless shelters. Progress Place in downtown Silver Spring is open as a day center.

The county was set to conduct its annual Point in Time homeless count Wednesday night into Thursday morning, but that has been postponed for one week as people helping the homeless are busy making sure people go inside.

She asked anyone seeing someone living outside to call 240.907.2685 and let the county know where they are located.

Places to Get Warm

County libraries and recreation and senior centers are open Tuesday, but residents are advised to check first as some may be closed and others may open later than usual.

Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Kisha Davis reminded everyone that it is “life threatening cold out there,” adding, “Look out for yourself. Look out for your neighbors.”

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