snow

Locals Can Vent About Snow Removal at Public Forum This Month

By Andrew Ramonas

Snow piled in front of a stop sign during the January 2016 blizzard (photo via Arlington County)Arlington residents unhappy with the county’s snow removal efforts during last month’s blizzard are getting an opportunity to share their frustration with local officials.

The county is set to host a public “Snow Forum” at Key Elementary (2300 Key Blvd) in two weeks on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The discussion is scheduled to run from 7 to 9 p.m.

“We’re asking people to tell us about their experiences during and after Snowzilla, and to offer suggestions for how we can improve our efforts to quickly recover from snow and ice events,” Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a statement.

Those who were happy with the snow removal effort can, of course, also weigh in.

In addition to the event, the county is also asking locals to fill out its online snow survey by next Friday, Feb. 19. Officials will share results from the questionnaire at the meeting.

Residents can register for the forum online.

Photo via Arlington County

Winter Weather Advisory: Expect 1-3 Inches of Snow Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Very heavy traffic during a snowy evening commute on Jan. 20, 2016Update at 3:20 p.m. — WMATA says Metrobuses will operate on a Moderate Snow Plan on Tuesday.

It’s an uncertain forecast in part due to above-freezing temperatures today, but forecasters say D.C. area residents should expect 1-3 inches of snow between late tonight and Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory, warning of the potential for snow accumulation disrupting driving tomorrow, particularly during the morning commute.

We all know what a measly inch of snow did during the nightmare evening commute a couple of weeks ago — though road crews are likely to be more prepared this time around.

The Clarendon-Courthouse Mardi Gras Parade, meanwhile, is once again being threatened by winter weather. On the parade’s website, organizers say they “will be making a weather announcement here mid-day on Tuesday, Feb. 9, about the parade,” which is scheduled for Tuesday night.

From the NWS:

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT EST TUESDAY NIGHT…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT EST TUESDAY NIGHT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS… SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 3 INCHES… WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS PARTICULARLY IN THE NORTHWEST SUBURBS.

* TIMING… A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING. PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO ALL SNOW AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY AND THE ADVISORY MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED.

* IMPACTS… SNOW COVERED ROADS AND TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS.

* WINDS… NORTH 5 TO 10 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES… IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 30S.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

VDOT, meanwhile, says drives should be prepared for the possibility of a messy commute Tuesday. From a press release:

The Virginia Department of Transportation asks drivers to plan now for their commutes Tuesday, as several inches of snow are forecast to impact both the morning and evening rush hours in northern Virginia. Drivers are asked to monitor forecasts for changes or heavier weather bands that may impact their schedule, and to plan accordingly to telework, delay commutes or allow extra time for a slow and cautious trip.

Crews have treated interstates and major roads in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties with brine and liquid magnesium chloride in advance of the snow. Tonight, about 1,450 trucks will pre-deploy along interstates, main roads and neighborhood streets. They will remain on duty to plow and treat roads through the day Tuesday.

VDOT reminds drivers to use extreme caution during winter weather, to reduce speeds, and to be aware of potential slick spots such as bridges, ramps, hills, curves and shaded areas.

Reminders for drivers and residents:

If possible, park in driveways or on the odd-numbered side of the street to allow plows room to pass.

If you must be on the road, check www.511virginia.org or use the mobile app before leaving for road conditions.

Follow @vadotnova on Twitter.

VDOT’s Northern Virginia District includes Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington counties (Arlington maintains its own secondary roads).

Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Snow falls on 3/25/14 (file photo)Arlington may be on the edge of some accumulating snowfall Friday morning.

The National Weather Service has included in a Winter Weather Advisory that includes mostly points east and south of D.C. The snow is expected to fall between 5 and 8 a.m., during the morning rush hour.

From NWS:

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST FRIDAY…

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW.

* HAZARD TYPES… ACCUMULATING SNOW LATE TONIGHT.

* ACCUMULATIONS… 1 TO 2 INCHES… WITH UP TO 3 INCHES NEAR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.

* TIMING… RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW BETWEEN 1 AM AND 5 AM FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. A PERIOD OF MODERATE SNOW IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 5 AM AND 8 AM… ENDING QUICKLY BY MID-MORNING FRIDAY.

* IMPACTS… ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE.

* WINDS… NORTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES… IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S… EXCEPT AROUND 30 NEAR THE MASON-DIXON LINE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Mail Delivery Woes Continue in Arlington Well After Blizzard

By ARLnow.com

US Postal Service mail truck in the snow 2/21/15Residents from various parts of Arlington are reporting continued mail delivery problems a week and a half after the January blizzard.

Via email and social media, residents of both south and north Arlington have told ARLnow.com that mail delivery has been sporadic since the blizzard, with some only having received one or two deliveries in the past 10 days.

From a Barcroft resident, along Columbia Pike:

Lots and lots of neighborhood complaints about no USPS mail or sporadic USPS mail since January 22nd.  I am having the same issue.  Parcels and letters that should have arrived days or even a week+ ago are nowhere to be found.  Tracking shows obscured messages like “receptacle blocked” when there is no issue with our street our mail receptacle.  Others report the same.

From another Columbia Pike area resident:

The residents of 22204 haven’t had much, if any, mail delivery since the storm. While I can understand a few days lag, we are now almost 2 weeks out without any mail and there are tax documents out there somewhere.

The residents have heard various things, like Merriefield has been backed up and the carriers can’t stay out any later than 3-3:30, but that does nothing to resolve the issue.

We have suffered with poor service from the S. Glebe post office for years and now we apparently can’t get any service.

A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman apologized for the ongoing issues, but suggested, contrary to residents reports, that “normal operations” had resumed. Said USPS D.C. area spokeswoman Theresa Doherty:

We apologize for the inconvenience customers are experiencing. The Postal Service is working around the clock to make up for the delays caused by the storm. We ask that customers please contact their local Post Office for service updates. The Postmaster will be able to provide customers with information specific to your address location.

Delays were caused by the Postal Service needing to shut down last Saturday due to unsafe conditions, then followed by inaccessible roads and employees’ inability to report to work due metro and road closures. Since then, we have restored normal operations and are delivering throughout the D.C. metro area.

Reports of Arlington mail delivery problems from social media, after the jump.

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Could APS Students Telecommute During Snow Days?

By ARLnow.com

Six-foot high mountains of snow in the Taylor Elementary school zone (file photo)Arlington Public Schools students are off today due to a scheduled teacher grade preparation day. It’s the eighth consecutive weekday off for APS students, who’ve enjoyed one snow day after another since Thursday, Jan. 21.

Care-free snow days, however, could eventually become a thing of the past.

APS is likely, in the near future, to consider the idea of having students “telecommute” from home when school is cancelled. They would do so from their school-issued computers — APS is in the process of outfitting every high school student with a Macbook Air and every second- through eighth-grader with an iPad.

Once every second-grade student and up has a laptop or iPad, teachers could assign homework, reading and online lessons remotely and students could complete it from the comfort of their own homes. Theoretically, at least — some policy changes would be needed, particularly when it comes to expectations for teachers. There’s also the question of whether all APS teachers and families have internet access at home.

“For students, it will be explored in the future once all students have devices,” said APS spokesman Frank Bellavia, in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.com. “For teachers, this will require some policy changes which will probably be discussed in the future as well.”

File photo

Flashback: ‘Snowzilla’ in Photos

By ARLnow.com
1/36

A week ago, the first flakes started falling as the “Snowzilla” blizzard of 2016 got underway.

Before, during and after the snowfall, contributors to our Flickr pool were documenting the historic storm. Above is a photographic look back at the winter storm that crippled the D.C. region and much of the Mid-Atlantic.

Flickr pool photos by Brian Allen, John Sonderman, John Williams, Mrs. Gemstone, The Belt Walk, Wolfpack WX, Eric, Bekah Richards, Jim Webster, Alan Kotok and Brian Irwin

Video: How Local Restaurants Stayed Open Through the Blizzard

By ARLnow.com

It was hard enough for many Arlington residents to leave their house during last weekend’s blizzard — literally, two-plus feet of snow blocked many doors from opening — so imagine how hard it was to run a restaurant during the storm.

Yet, local establishments like A-Town Bar & Grill, Don Tito and Liberty Tavern did just that.

On Tuesday night, at ARLnow Presents: Running a Restaurant in Arlington, several prominent Arlington restaurant owners told attendees how they pulled it off.

A-Town snow shovel (photo via Facebook)Scott Parker, co-owner of A-Town and Don Tito, said his company paid for staff members to stay in nearby hotels — the Hilton in Ballston and the Holiday Inn in Courthouse — so they could get to and from work safely.

“We booked a big block of rooms in both of those… it was a big slumber party with all of our staff,” Parker said. “We were worried that if we sent people home and they fought through the storm on Friday night, they would then have to fight through it again to get back to work on Saturday, and that wasn’t really fair.”

Mark Fedorchak, co-owner of Liberty Tavern, Northside Social and Lyon Hall, said he and his team managed to keep Liberty Tavern open all weekend courtesy of an employee with a big SUV.

“We had one staff member with an ’85 Ford Bronco with huge wheels, that was able to go around and pick people up and take them back home all weekend long,” Fedorchak said.

Tim Ma, chef and proprietor of Water and Wall in Virginia Square, opened the restaurant on Sunday with only two staff members: his general manager and a server.

“I was able to get out of my house but the rest of my staff wasn’t,” said Ma, who was a 2015 “Culinary Rising Star of the Year” Rammy Award nominee. “I went into the kitchen, no dishwasher and no cook, and cooked the entire day by myself. We ran the entire day, with decent business, by ourselves.”

The next ARLnow Presents event, featuring new County Board members Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey, will be held at Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) on Feb. 10.

Video courtesy Arlington Independent Media. Photo via Facebook.

Arlington Public Schools to Remain Closed Friday

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools logo(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools will be closed Friday, for the seventh weekday in a row.

School offices will be open on time but students will not have classes, APS said. The last school day for students was Wednesday, Jan. 20.

The last time APS students had this many days off in a row as a result of weather? During the “Snowmageddon” blizzard of 2010.

Students also have a scheduled off day on Monday, due to a teacher grade preparation day. There are no plans to change that, said APS spokesman Frank Bellavia.

According to Bellavia, so far there is no need for makeup days.

“This year’s calendar included 181 instructional days for elementary, middle and high school students,” he said. “The state requires that students receive either 180 days or 990 hours of instructional time. Based on instructional hours, the first 10 days lost (or the equivalent of 10 school days) will not need to be made up.”

County Manager: Blizzard Cleanup ‘Takes Time,’ Employees ‘Exhausted’

By ARLnow.com

Front end loaders clearing snow during the January 2016 blizzard (Flickr pool photo by Starbuck77)

Arlington County and other D.C. area jurisdictions simply do not have the resources to clean up quickly from a monster snowstorm like this past weekend’s blizzard, officials told the County Board yesterday afternoon.

“We do not pretend to have the equipment and staff to handle this kind of record storm,” said County Manager Mark Schwartz. “It takes time. We don’t spend to the level of equipment or staffing, nor do our sister jurisdictions, to rebound as quickly as we would like when a record event happens.”

Schwartz said snow removal crews — both county employees and contractors — have been working around the clock in 12-hour shifts, operating all the heavy equipment the county has to muster, to try to massive amounts of snow from local roads.

Snow piled in front of a stop sign during the January 2016 blizzard (photo via Arlington County)“They’re all pretty exhausted, but they’re committed to doing their jobs,” said Schwartz. “They’re been working flat out as hard as they can.”

Both Schwartz and Greg Emanuel, head of the county’s Dept. of Environmental Services, acknowledged that the county had been receiving a high volume of complaints from residents about the slow pace of snow removal on certain residential streets. Complaints have been flooding in via email, online form submissions and phone calls, Emanuel said, and county staffers were doing their best to “triage” the feedback.

“We are very much in the middle of this fight,” said Emanuel, who offered a hopeful estimate that all residential streets would be plowed by the end of the day today (Wednesday). Among the problems faced by crews: the snow was too deep and too heavy for traditional plows to be effective in many cases, necessitating the use of front end loaders and other heavy equipment.

“We’re getting to [local streets] systematically, slowly and steadily,” Emanuel said. “Much of our equipment could not plow through the 18 inches due to the physics of the matter.”

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Slow Going for Those Driving from Arlington to D.C. as Post-Blizzard Life Returns to Normal

By ARLnow.com

Morning commute traffic map on 1/27/16Federal government employees are going back to work today for the first time since the blizzard, but it’s slow going for those trying to commute from Arlington to the District via car or bus.

As of 9:45 a.m., the northbound I-395 HOV lanes are jammed starting around Army Navy Country Club, while mainline I-395 slows near the Pentagon.

Memorial Bridge and Washington Blvd around the Pentagon is jammed. Traffic on eastbound I-66, approaching the Roosevelt Bridge slows near Rosslyn. N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn and the Key Bridge are also crawling.

Federal employees are to report to work on a three hour delay today, with an option for unscheduled leave or telework, the Office of Personnel Management announced last night.

Arlington County offices opened on time today, though certain community centers are closed or operating under modified hours. Arlington parking meters are being enforced today for the first time since the blizzard, but only in commercial districts. While Arlington Public Schools are closed, APS offices are opening at 10 a.m.

There’s some good news for commuters: full Metrorail service has returned to all lines, though some delays were reported on the Red and Green lines this morning. Also, the Custis Trail is clear for cyclists, though only one lane is cleared in places and some connecting trails are still snow-covered.

Letters: Arlington Residents Complain About Slow Snow Cleanup, Other Things

By ARLnow.com

Pedestrian walk sign next to a large snow bank (photo courtesy Dennis W.)It’s generally agreed that it would take awhile to recover and clean up from this past weekend’s historic blizzard, which dumped some two feet of the snow on Arlington. But that’s not stopping a myriad of complaints from rolling in.

Since the storm county crews and private contractors have been working in shifts around the clock to clear roads, sidewalks and parking lots. As expected, even today there are plenty of examples of places untouched or barely touched by snow crews.

Some Arlington residents — especially those along major arteries and Metro corridors — have had their street cleared to the point where it’s drive- or walk-able. Others, especially those in single-family home neighborhoods, have not been so lucky.

As of 1:30 this afternoon, Arlington County said half of all residential streets have been plowed. Snow crews have been working for 92 straight hours, the county said.

Some residents who remain snowed in are taking the “keep calm and carry on” approach. Others, however, are upset and are expressing their displeasure on TV, on social media and in emails to ARLnow.com.

After the jump: some of the letters — and photos — sent to ARLnow.com by local residents.

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