Life in a small town can often mean things move slower. But when it comes to services, the Town of Poolesville delivers for its residents.
That became apparent last Monday morning, when all town roads were clear and accessible.
The town maintains 28 miles of roads, compared with more than 6,000 miles in downcounty areas. But the key to their success comes from their sense of community, according to President of the Town Commissioners Jim Brown.
Snow Clearing Prep
The town actually rehearses snow-clearing scenarios starting in the late fall. Crews convert their gardening trucks into snowplows in advance of the winter season.
When this winter storm was still on the horizon, the town used its Facebook page, texts and emails to let residents know to move their cars off roadways and into driveways or garages.
While that was in progress, the Poolesville High School junior varsity and varsity wrestling teams opened up an online sign-up for snow shoveling.
Mobilizing at Storm Time
As the flakes began to fall, a band of eight multi-service parks and street workers divided the town into grids with members assigned to each neighborhood. In the fall, the town lined up and signed “partners” to help with snow disposal. This year, that number was seven. Because everyone on the team lives in Poolesville, crews know their territory well.
As part of the snow event, employees get double-time pay, free meals and hot chocolate from various restaurants in town in appreciation of their volunteer snow-shoveling service.
In the words of Brown, the snow crews are “hard workers and the pride of the town!”
Brown credited Preston King, Poolesville’s parks and streets director, and Rick Davidson, the town’s water unit director, for their organizational preparedness.
The Morning After
In the aftermath of the storm, the wrestling teams cleared driveways for more than 50 families.
When the people of Poolesville were surveyed recently to find out if they would prefer outside services like snow removal and lawn mowing in exchange for lower property taxes, 95% of respondents voted, “No.”
Nestled in the Ag Reserve, the Town of Poolesville still lobbies for resources like a community center, good bus transportation and health services. But it’s hard to deny the town fosters a spirit of cooperation the rest of us downcounty can only envy.
