Weekend Snowstorm Causes Few Problems
by David Pugh Buckeye Staff Writer

A snow plow clears an Archbold village street after 6 1/2 inches of snow fell Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 15-16. The winter storm caused few problems for road officials.- photo by Mary Huber

Spokesmen for the four government agencies in charge of clearing snow from area roads said the snowstorm presented no problems.

Snow started falling Saturday night, Dec. 15. By late Sunday morning, there was about six inches.

Grant Bernath, Archbold street commissioner, said street crews started clearing streets at 4 am Sunday and worked until 5:30 pm.

They were out again about 7:30 am Monday, clearing drifts and putting down salt.

Because there's no place to put snow in the downtown area, snow is hauled away in dump trucks. Workers from the water department pitched in. Their trucks hauled away 67 loads; street department trucks carried 16.

Dan Leininger, German Township road superintendent, said he was to begin plowing at 2:30 am Sunday, but freezing rain was falling. He waited until 4 am, when he and Josh King, road maintenance worker, began plowing.

He wasn't sure when they quit. They were out again Monday, removing hard packed ice and snow from the roads.

Jim Meyer, assistant highway superintendent for Fulton County, said crews started at 6 am, and worked 14 hours, until 9 pm.

ODOT

Toby Hines, of the Fulton County Ohio Department of Transportation, said workers started Saturday at 3 pm and did 12-hour shifts.

ODOT crews put down salt brine before the storm. A mixture of water and road salt, the brine creates the white streaks down the highways. Hines said it prevents snow from sticking and is easier to plow.

ODOT crews were still on 12- hour shifts Monday. Hines said he hoped to get back to a regular schedule Tuesday.

Drifting

Officials said high winds Sunday created drifting.

"When it stopped snowing, the blowing started," Leininger said.

"The blowing kept us out longer. The wind switched three times, causing drifting on northsouth and east-west roads.

"You have to plow it off, then do it again, and again, and again," Meyer said.

All four entities said they had road salt on hand, but ordered more. There shouldn't be a problem getting salt, they said.

Weekend

One county truck broke down. Two ODOT trucks went off the road in whiteouts.

Hines said clearing the roads was easier since the storm was correctly predicted and weekend traffic was low.

"It made our job easier," he said.

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A big, good-humored man, President Grover Cleveland was called "Uncle Jumbo" by his relatives.