Village crews battle Mother Nature

Monday was a long day for Village of Fredonia snow plow drivers as the area got socked with more than a foot of snow.

“We started at 3 a.m. (Monday) and finished at about 4 p.m. on Monday,” Village Public Works Director Roger Strohm said.

“We did one pass early in the morning and on all the driving lanes so people could get out for the morning commute and did another cleanup run through about 7 or 8 a.m. and a third run through out to the curb about 3 p.m.

Tuesday was busy as well, with sidewalk cleanup, plowing the bike path through the village and finishing up the parking lots for some parks and village properties, Strohm said.

“Now it’s just a matter of watching drifts, so once or twice a day we go out to clean those up,” he said. 

Strohm said crews will also be digging out fire hydrants.

The cold weather contributed to a water-main break on Fredonia Avenue near Divine Savior Parish, St. Rose Chapel over the weekend.

“A water-main burst Saturday morning but we weren’t able to get the materials to fill the hole,” he said.

“The cold weather created frost in the ground and that pushed on the soil, which broke the pipe,” Strohm said.

No homes were without water as crews were able to reroute the supply, although one apartment complex lost water pressure, Strohm said.

With warmer temperatures and the possibility of rain this weekend, Strohm said the biggest danger will be more ice.

“I don’t think it’s going to warm up enough,” he said.

On Monday, crews will likely be hauling snow away from cul-de-sacs, the fire department and away from intersections “so people can see,” Strohm said.