Snow Cancels Friday Classes at Madison Public Schools

Only two weeks after a storm left more than a foot of snow in its tracks, another is close to doing the same.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Morris County that will remain in effect until noon on Friday. The forecast is for 12-18 inches.

Madison Public Schools will be closed Friday, after all five had early dismissals on Thursday during the beginning of the storm.

The high school's sporting events have been pushed back for both days, as well. The Haas Cup semifinal game the Dodgers were scheduled to play against Mount Olive on Thursday night is now currently scheduled for Friday at 5:45 p.m. at Mennen Arena. The boys basketball game against Morris Knolls that was scheduled for Thursday will be made up on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Madison High School.

Also pushed back is the Region 3 wrestling tournament at Union High School, in which three Dodgers are scheduled to wrestle. The tournament was to begin on Friday night, but the entire tournament will now take place on Saturday, with weigh-ins starting at 7 a.m. and doors opening at 8 a.m. for the general public.

Several meetings have also been rescheduled. The third borough budget meeting, which was to take place on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Chase Auditorium at the Madison Public Library, was postponed.

The next budget meeting will be on March 4 at Bayley-Ellard, room 320, at 6:30 p.m. and will discuss the same departments–fire, electric and engineering. The March 11 budget meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Chase Auditorium at the library.

Also canceled on Thursday night was the Zoning Board meeting at Bayley-Ellard, room 320. The next meeting will be on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the same place, which is why the budget meeting will be held at the library.

The storm comes at a difficult time, as it could affect budget decisions. Borough Administrator Ray Codey said $80,000 is currently in the 2010 budget for snow removal and other activities related to inclement weather.

After the storm two weeks ago, $58,000 has been spent already since Jan. 1. Codey said that depending on the severity of the storm, the borough may have to make a budget adjustment because the the $80,000 would probably be fully exhausted, with the November and December 2010 winter season still to be accounted for.

Come back to Madison Patch for more updates on the storm, including closings and photos. If you have any photos you'd like to see on the site, send them to editor Rick Burchfield at rick@patch.com.