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Home My Public Portal About2016_tcmin0129EMERG Council Emergency Meeting January 29, 2016 Webex Conference Call, 6:00 p.m., Council Member Marty Martinez presiding. Council Members Present: David Butler, Thomas Dunn, II, Suzanne Fox, Katie Sheldon Hammler, and Marty Martinez. 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 those members present on the conference call from their residences: David Butler, Thomas Dunn, II, Suzanne Fox, Katie Sheldon Hammier, and Marty Martinez. Vice Mayor Burk did not participate. Town Manager Kaj Dentler gave an update on current conditions. Key Points: • All roads are down to black top. • Primaries are at full width. • Significant clearing of pedestrian walkways in high traffic areas (Sycolin Road, Market Street, etc.) • Town garage is fully open. • Town garage was free throughout the week for people to park because of conditions on the street. • Temperature forecasts are excellent for melting. • Crews and contractors will work throughout the weekend focusing on bus stops and intersections. • Eight trash collection sites have been established throughout town and remain in place until 2 p.m. on Saturday. • Trash pick up will resume in the neighborhoods on Monday on the regular schedule. • If certain streets have access issues, dumpsters will remain at Ida Lee Park and Liberty Street. • Airport is at normal operation. Council Member Dunn questioned when all streets in town would be cleared curb to curb. Mr. Dentler stated that curb to curb clearing will push snow back into driveway mouths and onto sidewalks. He stated the "hot spot" approach is being used if 1 1Page Council Emergency Meeting January 29, 2016 citizens contact the town about further clearing noting that most residents do not want the town back in their neighborhoods. Council Member Dunn expressed concern over the ability for school buses and trash trucks to access the neighborhood streets. Mr. Dentler stated that the school system and the trash contractor are both confident that they will be able to get their vehicles into the neighborhoods. Council Member Dunn noted that staff needs to be aware of those with special needs as the school buses pick those children up at the door. Mr. Dentler stated that the school system has not indicated any special circumstances and that they are relying on the school system to let the town know if special circumstances exist. He stated it is not necessary or efficient to go back into every neighborhood and that feedback from Facebook, emails, and phone calls indicate that the residents do not want the town to come back through their neighborhoods. Council Member Dunn stated that there have been some comments from certain supervisors and former supervisors that the town has a different process from what has been done in the past. He stated he does not remember leaving this much snow in the driving lanes. He asked that the town do its job and continue to clear the streets. Mr. Dentler stated that the approach in regards to what has been talked about as a perfect plan has not changed. He stated the focus on primary streets, secondary streets and then neighborhoods has always been the town's approach and the only thing that has changed is the town will now plow a ring around the cul-de-sacs rather than plow through the middle. Council Member Dunn reiterated that the town should continue to make every effort to clear the streets curb to curb as best as can be done with as little inconvenience to the citizens. He asked that they not wait for melting snow because cars cannot park on the street. Mr. Dentler stated that curb to curb is not possible with minor inconvenience. Council Member Martinez stated that he appreciated the comments. Council Member Hammier had no comment. Council Member Butler stated that there are streets where there is only one lane of traffic possible and that he could not imagine that to be standard practice. He stated that snow gets into driveways when clearing is done and that he cannot see how a complaint would supersede the issue of a one lane road. Council Member Fox questioned what should be done with recycling. 21Page Council Emergency Meeting January 29, 2016 Mr. Dentler stated that recycling would resume on its regular schedule next week. Council Member Fox agreed with the assessment of one lane roads and stated that the snow needs to be pushed back further. She questioned the issue of doing things differently stating that in 2010, the roads were very bumpy after the big storm and questioned whether that is the change that people are talking about. She also stated it is not very productive to move the plows out of the neighborhoods at night. Mr. Dentler stated that temperature and other weather conditions were big factors between this storm and the 2010 storm. He noted that the plow drivers could not distinguish between covered vehicles and snow banks making it too dangerous to work in tight residential areas through the worst of the storm so they focused on keeping the primaries open during the night and went back into the neighborhoods during the day. He stated that in the past, Mr. Wells had made the directive to make the primaries passable and then get into the neighborhoods quicker which became a fiasco because once people started moving around, the primaries became pitted with packed snow and the drivers interrupted the snow removal process. Therefore, Mr. Wells moved away from that after 2010. Council Member Martinez noted that Catoctin is a major walking route for many people and asked that the pedestrian walkways be cleared along that road. Mr. Dentler stated that the primary focus over the weekend will be getting the bus stops clear and after that, they will come back to the pedestrian routes that remain. Council Member Dunn stated that a safety issue is the big piles of snow at the intersections that smaller sedans cannot see over/past. He recommended knocking those piles down to improve sight distances. Council Member Martinez agreed with this request. He also stated that during the heaviest part of the storm, the plow drivers not only could not see to plow, but as soon as they did plow something, it was covered back up. Renee Lafollette stated that line of sight is a priority for the weekend crews as well as pushing back snow in locations where there are major bus stops. Council Member Dunn stated he does not agree with the process of letting the snow melt. He stated he believes there will be more concern with not having two lanes than with people being blocked back in by the plows. Betsy Arnett stated that there is an online form on the website— www.leesburgva.gov/snowissue for the public to report snow issues. She noted it would be monitored through the weekend. Council Member Fox stated that even though this is a learning opportunity, she heard a lot of positive feedback. 3 1Page Council Emergency Meeting January 29, 2016 Council Member Martinez thanked everyone for participating. The meeting was adjourned at 6:29 p.m. ji David S. Butler, Mayor Town of Leesburg ATTE • r�— Clerk of Co ncil 2016_tcsnow0129 41Page