Vernon Officials Release Preliminary Blizzard Report

In response to inquiries presented by some Town Council members, Town Administrator John Ward and Public Works Director Robert Kleinhans have compiled a preliminary report regarding the blizzard that hit the area two weeks ago.

The storm dropped 30 inches of snow on Vernon.

Here are the details:

Staffing

The average hours worked from Feb. 9 to 15 by job classification were: Road foreman 101.33; equipment operators, 102.75; truck drivers, 102.97. 

Equipment 

During the storm, the town put into use 14 large trucks, six small trucks and one Holder sidewalk plow.

The garage was staffed with mechanics to handle breakdowns and service.

After the storm ended, the town put into use one loader with a Sno-go device, three loaders with buckets, two backhoes and Bobcat to clear accumulated snow. The equipment ran continuously Saturday until 7:30 p.m.; Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; from midnight until 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; Thursday and Friday from 7 a.m to 3:30 p.m.  Snow was removed from Rockville High School,  Center 375, Rockville streets, bridges, Vernon neighborhoods, the Rockville business district, town building parking lots, and the Board of Education central administration building,

Methods

Due to "the historic volume of snow" and the long duration of the storm, crews attempted to keep roads open throughout the storm.

The first priority was to make sure a travel lane was available on all roads and begin melting using salt and the bright sun. DPW trucks deliver salt from the spinner on the driver’s side to the centerline area of the road. As it melts from the crown, the salt spreads down to the gutterline.

The second priority was to remove excess snow and widen roads. That was done by loading trucks with Sno-go attachments and/or using loaders. Crews worked double shifts for approximately one week until "the situation was largely under control."

At that point refuse and recycling pickups resumed and the snow removal labor pool was diminished, requiring snow removal work to be performed by available staff during normal hours, which has continued. Removed snow was hauled to Legion Field.

Sightlines and Bus Stops

Hazardous sightlines were "continuously resolved: starting on Saturday both from department observations and resident complaints. School bus routes were obtained on Monday and stops were checked and resolved as necessary for Wednesday's re-opening.