With a snowstorm looming on the horizon, city and county departments are preparing for the worst. According to the National Weather Service, the mid-state has a good chance of seeing between 1-3 inches of the white stuff Wednesday night through Thursday thanks to an Arctic upper-level disturbance moving in from Canada.
But if snow does fall, Murfreesboro’s Streets Department will be ready. “We’ll monitor the weather and do what it takes to keep the roads clear,” Street Department Director Rick Templeton said.
Templeton said the department has been working with its equipment – eight salt trucks and five snow plows, as well as the backhoes, grader and 1,000 tons of salt the department has on hand to clear ice and snow – to make sure it’s ready for the real deal.
Click here for the National Weather Service forecast.
And if it does come, the city has a maintenance contract with the state to keep state routes, like Church Street, Old Fort Parkway and Broad Street, clear. The department will also clear major arterials, like Rutherford and Middle Tennessee boulevards, and hilly secondaries if snow should fall.
••• But just because some streets are clear, doesn’t mean they’re safe for school buses. Both Murfreesboro City and Rutherford County school systems will make the call to close as early as possible. “The Director of Schools (Harry Gill Jr.) makes the ultimate decision for snow/weather concerns,” Rutherford County Schools spokesman James Evans said.
“He works closely with our transportation director, who maintains contact with emergency management and law enforcement officials, and spotters who live in various places in the county.”
Should Gill deem the weather unsafe, Evans said the system will alert parents through local TV stations, radio and other media, as well as School Messenger, if schools are closed, starting late or getting out early because of the weather.
“The decision to close Murfreesboro City Schools due to inclement weather is made independent of the Rutherford County School System’s decision,” MCS spokeswoman Cheryl Harris said. For city schools, Harris said the system will try to make the call the evening before, but if snow occurs in the early morning hours AlertNow will be used.
Parents can also tune into City Channel 3 or other local media for updates. Murfreesboro City Schools Extended School Program will be open in the event of a snow day, Harris said.
Evans said the county system also will try to make the decision early to give notice
. “But unfortunately, weather in Tennessee is rarely predictable and we often times don't know exactly what's coming until it's nearly here,” he said. “Sometimes we get lucky and we know several hours in advance. If that happens this week, we will get word to parents immediately.” Parents can call the RCS Snow Line at 904-3883 to find out the status of schools.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com. |
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