City outlines plans ahead of winter storm

A recreation of Punxsatawney Phil welcomes visitors to Robe-Ann Park Wednesday. The famous groundhog's prediction of six more weeks of winter looks likely to be come true with authority, as a winter storm is expected to dump a glazing of ice followed by several inches of snow on the area between Wednesday and Friday.

Courtesy Greencastle Parks Department

Ahead of an expected winter storm, the City of Greencastle today outlined its plans to clear the streets, as well as offered for guidance to residents in preparing for the inclement weather.

With the winter storm approaching Wednesday night into Thursday, the city requests residents refrain from parking on city streets as much as possible. Moving vehicles off of streets will allow city plow trucks to move more efficiently around the community. For residents who do need to be on the roads, please allow plenty of room for plow trucks to operate.

The city’s immediate priority will be to clear streets. City parking lots will be plowed after streets. The city will be closing parks and Forest Hill Cemetery until crews can catch up on snow removal on city streets.

“Our city departments are prepared for the storm, and the equipment the Department of Public Works uses to clear the streets is ready to go,” said Mayor Dory. “The city has ample road salt and sand, and other city departments will assist with snow removal. We do encourage our residents to stay home, if possible, and let our staff clear the streets, so we all can safely return to our daily activities.”

Local employers will be notifying their employees through their in-house communications channels in regard to any weather-related scheduling changes or shift cancellations.

Republic Services has announced that Thursday’s trash routes will be run on Friday and Friday’s routes will be run on Saturday. Please place trash bins in a location for easy access by the trash truck. Bins should not be placed where they become a hazard to snow plows.

Residents are advised to minimize travel during the storm and to be prepared at home. If your residence should lose power, be sure to follow safety precautions with the use of kerosene heaters, wood stoves and portable generators.

The city will coordinate with the Putnam County EMA should the need arise to open a shelter in the event of widespread power outages.

Information on road conditions around the state can be found at www.trafficwise.org. Travel advisories can be found at www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory.