PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Gavin Buckley
Public Information Office
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov
Snowfall Totals and Downed Branches
in Annapolis Make Storm Cleanup a Challenge
Transit Will Discontinue Service at 5 p.m. on Monday, Move Tuesday Start to 9 a.m.
ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 3, 2022) - Annapolis’ first snowstorm of the winter season dropped between 8 and 12 inches of heavy, wet snow on the City. The Department of Public Works has had drivers out since 3 a.m. salting, de-icing and plowing roadways, but branches and downed trees have complicated the effort. The City announced on Monday afternoon that Department of Recreation and Parks workers have been diverted to work with DPW to “cut and toss” limbs and trees out of roadways in order to make way for plows.
City Manager David Jarrell is thanking residents for their patience as crews continue their work overnight. “We work first on major arterial roads (snow emergency routes), then connectors and then neighborhood streets,” Jarrell said. “We have to focus on the major arterials first since they are the main roads used by emergency and public safety vehicles.”
The City has opened Gotts, Knighton and Hillman garages for free parking so that residents can move their vehicles off of roadways, which helps plows work faster and allows for full-width plowing. The garages will remain open until at least Tuesday afternoon.
Overnight, the National Weather Service predicts that temperatures will dip into the teens/low 20s. This will make the salt and de-icing agents less effective at melting the snow. Any remaining wet or melted snow will likely re-freeze and make the morning commute difficult. Sidewalk and road surfaces may be deceptively slick. The good news is that a Tuesday afternoon warm-up will see temperatures into the mid- and high 30s and then the 40s on Wednesday which will help to melt what snow and ice remains.
Trash and Recycling Collection Update: Approximately 50 percent of Monday’s collection routes were completed today. The remainder of Monday’s collections will be completed on Tuesday, and Tuesday’s collections will be done on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday collections will be done as usual.
Annapolis Transit Service: As of 5 p.m. on Monday, Annapolis Transit, including the Circulator and complementary Paratransit service, will stop all service. At 3 p.m., Annapolis Transportation representatives called employers along the day’s most frequented routes to alert riders. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning’s City bus service will begin at 9 a.m. There will be no Annapolis Transit service on any bus route between 5:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
Emergency Operations Center Activation: The Annapolis Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center activation status is “Enhanced”. The Annapolis Call Center is also activated to respond to non-emergency inquiries from the public. Annapolis residents can call 410-260-2211 regarding road conditions or for any other non-emergency, snow-related questions.
Residents Must Clear Their Section of Sidewalk: The Annapolis City Code requires residents to clear sidewalks (Section 14.24.010) within three hours after the snow or sleet has stopped falling, except between 3 p.m. and 6 a.m. Violation of this code requirement is subject to a $100 fine per day. Please lend a hand to any neighbors who may be physically or otherwise unable to clear sidewalks. (Never use fertilizer to melt ice and snow; the nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizer can harm your local streams, groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay!)
Mayor Buckley asks residents to please practice some kindness by checking in on elderly and vulnerable neighbors.
Adopt-a-Hydrant: The Annapolis Fire Department asks residents to “Adopt-a-Hydrant,” where residents help to clear hydrants after a winter storm. Buried hydrants cause dangerous delays for firefighters. This alleviates time spent by firefighters who have to search for hydrants buried in drifts or plowed snow in case of an emergency. Volunteers should clear a wide enough perimeter from around the area of the hydrant (at least 3 feet). Also, clear a path from the hydrant to the street. Please wear visible and weather-appropriate clothing when clearing snow/ice.
Warming Center Opening: The Stanton Center, at 92 West Washington Street in Annapolis, is opening as a temporary emergency warming center. The warming center will be open nightly from 7pm to 7am starting January 3rd through January 10th. Please note that masks are required, all COVID-19 safety protocols must be followed, and all referrals must check-in to the Stanton Center nightly by 9 p.m.
Stay Informed:
Download the “Prepare Me Annapolis” mobile app to receive important push notifications on your smartphone. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices.
Sign up for Alert Annapolis, a community notification system. Receive voicemails, text messages, and/or emails in case of emergencies or other events. Find out more at http://alertannapolis.civicready.com
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