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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016_tcmin0125EMERG Council Emergency Meeting January 25, 2016 Webex Conference Call, 6:03 p.m., Vice Mayor Kelly Burk presiding. Council Members Present: David Butler, Thomas Dunn, II, Suzanne Fox, Katie Sheldon Hammier, Marty Martinez and Vice Mayor Kelly Burk Staff Present: Town Manager Kaj Dentler, Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel, Public Information Officer Betsy Fields, Director of Capital Projects and Public Works Renee Lafollette, Chief of Police Joseph Price, Director of Finance and Administrative Services Clark Case, and Clerk of Council Lee Ann Green This electronic meeting was held pursuant to the requirements of Section 2.2-3708(G) of the Code of Virginia due to the effects of Winter Storm Jonas. The meeting was held using Webex Conference Call. ROLL CALL: Showing all members present on the conference call from their residences. David Butler, Thomas Dunn, II, Suzanne Fox, Katie Sheldon Hammier, Marty Martinez and Vice Mayor Kelly Burk. Town Manager Kaj Dentler stated that this is a storm of historic proportions with some parts of town receiving as much as 36 inches. He also stated that the town is working closely with Loudoun County. Key Points: • Challenge is resources. • Town's current equipment and staffing is geared towards an event of 10-12 inches. • Entire region is dealing with the same thing. • Public news conference with the county tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. — Phyllis Randall, Chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will lead the conference. The conference will be televised on the County's broadcast channel and webcast on their website. Director of Capital Projects and Public Works, Renee Lafollette updated everyone on the status of storm clean up. Key Points: • Since Friday morning we have been working two 12 hour shifts. • All town resources plus seven contractors. • At 7 p.m. this evening: 35% of the NE quadrant will have one lane passible, 60% in the SE, 60% in the SW, and nearly complete in the NW • SW will have all streets passable by end of shift on Thursday, SE by end of shift on Wednesday, and NE by Friday. • In contact with General Services at the County regarding resources • Driveways and pipestems will only be cleared for verified medical reasons. 1 1Page Council Emergency Meeting January 25, 2016 • Working closely with the Police Department and Fire and Rescue on 911 calls to get ambulances or fire equipment into neighborhoods. • Resources will remain in all quadrants until all streets are passible. • At night crews will work on primary road safety concerns. Vice Mayor Burk verified that she would be able to speak at the press conference in the morning. There were no objections to that. Council Member Dunn questioned why the variation in completed plowing percentages in the different quadrants. Renee Lafollette confirmed that the differences in completion rates were a combination of terrain, intersection sizes, and how many people have tried to get out. The NE quadrant is the largest and also has the largest number of cul-de-sacs. Council Member Fox questioned whether the County was asked for help earlier. Mr. Dentler stated that the county does not have any resources of their own with the exception of Parks and Recreation and General Services. The county depends on the Virginia Department of Transportation for snow removal. He also stated that the town and county have been working together now and before the storm. The county is bringing in help from out of state and the town is in close coordination with them. Several Leesburg residents expressed concern with not having their quadrants passable before Friday. There was concern over emergency rescue situations. It was clarified that snow plows would precede rescue equipment into neighborhoods that had not been plowed, although no response time could be given because it would be dependent on rescue equipment availability. Chief Price verified that all police cruisers are equipped with AEDs. Council Member Butler questioned why so few contractors have been employed. Ms. Lafollette noted that as many contractors were secured as possible. She added that sometimes they do not show up when they say they will. Mr. Dentler noted that the entire region is in competition for contractors with snow removal equipment. Council Member Butler stated that the town needs to do better than that. Mr. Dentler stated that staff will be asking for additional resources, both in equipment and staff, in the next budget cycle. A comparison was made to Purcellville's snow removal efforts. It was noted that Purcellville is just over three square miles and still do not have all lanes passable, even with VDOT support. Council Member Hammier stated an effort should be made to organize volunteers to shovel out elderly neighbors. She questioned whether anything can be done to put the call out for resources. Mr. Dentler stated that this is a physical challenge with the volume of snow and that the town is taking advantage of everyone who has volunteered to help. 2 Page Council Emergency Meeting January 25, 2016 Council Member Fox questioned why Purcellville has VDOT support. Ms. Lafollette noted that the town maintains its own streets. She stated that the county has come to the town asking for assistance as well since they don't have their own snow removal equipment. Council Member Dunn stated that that Boston has offered assistance and questioned why the town has not asked for assistance from localities outside the storm. Mr. Dentler stated that the county has done that. A resident questioned whether there is a plan to bring the need for more equipment to the voters since it is not acceptable to have people stranded for a week. Mr. Dentler stated that the county is working to bring additional resources from outside the area. Former Leesburg Supervisor Ken Reid questioned how the subdivision streets are prioritized for snow removal. Ms. Lafollette stated that the crew that is assigned to a specific quadrant moves through the quadrant methodically and does not pick certain streets for plowing. She verified that they will be working 24/7 until all the snow is cleared. A downtown business owner questioned what the plan was for removal of the snow downtown. Ms. Lafollette stated that they will be bringing in a blower tomorrow to start clearing the big piles of snow. Council Member Dunn stated that the town should start thinking about where it will put the snow that it hauls out. Ms. Lafollette states that they have already lined up haul out trucks and equipment and have dump locations identified. They will get the residential streets passable before hauling begins. Mr. Reid questioned whether the state police can help. Chief Price stated that the state police do not have that type of equipment. Town crews have been called in to pull out state police cars that do not have four-wheel drive. Mr. Reid questioned whether the town can buy snow blowers from Home Depot and utilize town staff to man them. Chief Price noted that Home Depot was sold out of snow blowers as of Friday. Vice Mayor Burk thanked the public for participating and sharing their concerns. She expressed her gratitude to town staff for trying to solve this issue. She stated everyone needs to work together and help each other. Kara Rodriguez questioned whether the Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday night will be held since meetings are normally cancelled if town offices are closed. There was consensus of Council to cancel the meeting since the public would not be able to attend. 3IPage Council Emergency Meeting January 25, 2016 Mr. Dentler noted that Ida Lee Recreation Center would be open at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. Council Member Martinez stated he is encouraged that all six Council Members were able to meet on such short notice and stated it is important to let the public know that the town is doing everything it can. Mr. Dentler thanked everyone and closed by saying that the town is focused on providing the best services with the resources at hand and that any situations would be addressed as well as possible. He welcomed any questions and encouraged everyone to attend the press conference in the morning. The meeting was adjourned at 6:49 p.m. Cji ceityg, David S. Butler, Mayor Town of Leesburg E, Clerk of Cou cil, 2016 tcsnow0125 41Page