[Durham INC] City of Durham Preparing for Winter Weather

[PublicAffairs]

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CITY OF DURHAM
Office of Public Affairs
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

News Release


News Media Contact:
Amy Blalock
Sr. Public Affairs Specialist
(919) 560-4123 x 11253
(919) 475-7735 (cell)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov<mailto:Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov>
http://Facebook.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://Twitter.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://YouTube.com/CityofDurhamNC


For Immediate Release: February 16, 2015



Share!  Durham announces early closing & delayed opening #ncwx; http://bit.ly/17by7g5



City of Durham Preparing for Winter Weather
Tonight's City Council Meeting & State of the City Address Rescheduled;
City Hall and Parks & Recreation Facilities Closing Early

DURHAM, N.C. -The City of Durham is busy preparing to keep operations running smoothly ahead of today's predicted winter weather. Residents are encouraged to like http://Facebook.com/CityofDurhamNC and follow http://Twitter.com/CityofDurhamNC to get up-to-date information about roads, programs, services, trash collection and more.

City Hall and non-emergency City operations will close at 4 p.m. today and be delayed until 11 a.m. tomorrow. Tonight's City Council meeting and the 13th Annual State of the City Address have been rescheduled to Thursday, February 19 at 5 p.m. in the Committee Room, located on the second floor of City Hall.

Durham Parks and Recreation's (DPR) facilities and recreation centers will close at 5 p.m. today. All evening programs, events and activities, including after school programs, are canceled. The Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park closed at noon today. Weather permitting, DPR recreation centers and facilities will open at 11 a.m. tomorrow. For weather-related updates, call the DPR weather line at (919) 560-4636 or the DPR main office at (919) 560-4355. Updates will also be available at http://www.DPRPlayMore.org and http://Facebook.com/DurhamParksandRecreation<http://www.facebook.com/DurhamParksandRecreation>.

A decision on the Tuesday collection of curbside solid waste and recycling carts as well as bulky item and yard waste collections will be made tomorrow morning after an assessment of city street conditions, and if the landfill that accepts the City's trash will be open. Residents are asked to leave their carts on their curb by 7 a.m. on their scheduled collection day in the event collections can proceed as scheduled. If collections must be suspended due to road conditions, residents should leave the carts at the curb overnight for collection the next day, weather permitting. Any questions or concerns regarding solid waste collection schedule changes should be directed to Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200.

The City's Public Works Department has 40 trucks ready to go and all of the city's primary roads and bridge routes have been pre-treated with brine, and additional brining efforts will continue today on primary and secondary roads. Salt-brine solution is a salt-and-water mix that is sprayed onto the roadway surfaces before snow and ice begins to fall, helping to prevent accumulation from bonding to the road surface. The department is also operating in 12-hour shifts until staff gets all primary and secondary roads, bridges, and emergency routes cleared. The department is also coordinating with the local NCDOT maintenance office to ensure that the state-maintained roads within the city limits are passable throughout this weather event.

The City's plan of action for pre-treatment as well as clearing or reducing hazards on city streets is prioritized in the following order:
·         Bridges and overpasses throughout the city.
·         Major arterial streets within the city.
·         Streets to essential health facilities, police and fire stations, and critical community facilities.
·         Routes to two City fuel sites.
·         Streets within the central business district.
·         Clear access to Durham Public Schools.
·         All residential areas with priority initially to passage of emergency vehicles and then to all traffic.

Residents and property owners are responsible for snow and ice removal in their driveways, apartment access roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. The clearing of private streets is the responsibility of the homeowners within that subdivision. In order to facilitate snow and ice removal on city streets, residents can help by adhering to the following tips:
·         Stay off the roads if at all possible.
·         Drive very slowly and carefully. If involved in a property damage wreck, motorists should pull off the road to prevent additional accidents and remember that it may take some additional time for an officer to respond to the accident due to icy road conditions.
·         If at all possible, park cars off the street or highway to let salt-and-sand spreaders pass with ease.
·         Treat intersections with malfunctioning traffic lights as four-way stops and proceed with caution.

Residents are also reminded to be careful of any downed power lines and should report them to Duke Energy Carolinas at 800-POWERON or 800-769-3766 (English), or 866-4APAGON or 866-427-2466 (Español). Residents are also asked to use alternative heating sources carefully in the event of a power outage.

To report downed trees on City streets, residents should contact the Durham Emergency Communications Center non-emergency line at (919) 560-4600 unless the downed tree presents an immediate, life-threatening hazard; then call 9-1-1.

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