City Asks Residents To Stay At Home

Warsaw Public Works Superintendent Lacy Francis has just one request of city residents - stay home.

"Some folks aren't paying any attention to the snow emergency," Francis said this morning. "People are getting out to look around at the snow, getting stuck and blocking the streets. It makes it hard for us to get all the roads passable.

"People should please stay away from the downtown area unless they absolutely have to be out." he said. "We're asking people to stay at home and let us get this snow hauled away."

Warsaw Police Chief Craig Allebach said Mayor Ernest Wiggins declared the snow emergency to make it easier for city workers to clear the streets, and residents should not be out on those streets unless it is absolutely necessary.

"If there's a situation where people are out and they don't have to be, and they get stuck and have to be towed out, they will be charged for the tow and ticketed," Allebach said. "We really need for people to get their cars parked on the street off, and then stay off the streets."

As far as the department's operation, officers are using four-wheel-drive vehicles and patrolling as normally as possible, Allebach said.

"It really hasn't been too bad," he said. "Other than a few false alarms caused by the storm on Saturday, we've been operating normally."

Francis said the city's main arterial routes are nearly clear and his crews will be moving to the secondary streets today.

"We've had all our crews here since Friday night. The guys have even been staying here at the garage," he said. "Right now, we're doing pretty good on the streets and we're starting to clear the snow and hauling it over to Boggs Industrial Park."

The department's vehicles have been on the road non-stop since the snow first began to fall on Friday, Francis said. The eight dump trucks and six four-wheel-drive pickup trucks are all equipped with blades and are moving snow.

"We have every available piece of equipment on the road and working," he said.

Of course, with snow removal taking priority, trash collection for today was canceled, Francis said. He expects to get back on schedule Tuesday or Wednesday.

"We had to cancel the collection because we can't get to the landfill until the roads are cleared," he said.