Plows, Salt and Candy Cane Hook Ups ... Yeah, Monroe's Ready

A chill of 37 degrees Fahrenheit descended upon Monroe Wednesday and the National Weather Service was predicting a nor'easter will bring blustery winds of up to 25 mph that night with a flurry of one to three inches of snow. The snow accumulation is expected to continue into Thursday.

Whatever the weather brings, Monroe's emergency services personnel and Highway Department crews are prepared.

Chris Nowacki, deputy director of Public Works, says inspections and procedures with plow trucks had already begun on Tuesday.

"Yesterday we started going through the dry runs," he said Wednesday.

One of the procedures is putting chains on the two rear, outside wheels of dump trucks used to plow. Only in the most extreme conditions, such as last month's blizzard, Nowacki said roller chains enable trucks to gain traction on icy roads.

"We're just going over our equipment," Nowacki said.

Crew members filled their normal shifts Wednesday and remained on call as Highway Supervisor Jim Robinson kept in touch with crew leaders.

Should the storm strike quickly, Nowacki said Monroe is fortunate to have "candy cane" hook ups for its plows, which allows its trucks to be speedily transformed into plow trucks.

The Highway Garage is stocked up with food, water and materials in the event of an extended stay by drivers and checks were made on fuel, according to Nowacki, who said said block heaters, which allow truck engines to avoid cold starts, are operational.

The Public Works Department's Bulk Waste Pickup program started early yesterday to avoid delays from the storm and Nowacki said emergency services ensured that generators in all town buildings were inspected.

Because this winter has been light in the number of snowstorms, Nowacki said the town's sand and salt supply is in good shape.

Of the storm preparations, Nowacki said, "We'd rather be proactive than reactive, so everything provided by the town is in place."