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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Friday, 08 January 2010 |
 A Wapakoneta Public Works Department crew member plows snow at Heritage Park before hitting streets west of South Blackhoof Streets. Staff photo/William Laney By MIKE BURKHOLDER and
WILLIAM LANEY
Staff Writers
As Mother Nature dumped several inches of snow on Auglaize County Thursday, county and city officials kept busy keeping an eye on the storm.
Wapakoneta Safety-Service Director Bill Rains said he conferred with Bill Thomas, a member of the Public Works Department, Thursday morning, about the storm which dumped more than 3 inches throughout the day and an additional snowfall during the early morning hours today.
“We have crews out now working to clean the roads,” Rains said shortly after 4 p.m. “We will have another crew in at 4 a.m. (today) to help clear the downtown area and haul the snow away.
“Obviously, we are trying to keep the main thoroughfares open,” he said.
Two snow plow trucks cleared many of the residential streets around the downtown area after 3 p.m., but Rains said they will balance cleaning the streets with the safety of motorists and snow plow drivers.
“I know they are out there doing the best they can, and I know a crew will start again at 4 a.m. (today),” Rains said. “We also are concerned about the safety of our snow plow drivers because we don’t want them out there 20 hours straight — the drivers won’t make good decisions when they are out there 20 hours.”
The safety-service director said Public Works Superintendent Meril Simpson and workers at the department keep an eye on the weather and they believe the “worst of this snow event” has passed.
Wapakoneta weather observer Dan Dietz recorded 3.3 inches of snowfall, with a high temperature of 23 degrees Fahrenheit reached during the afternoon and a low temperature of 11 during the evening.
Wapakoneta City Schools administrators did not dismiss students early Thursday, but a one-call Thursday evening indicated the district would be on a 2-hour delay today.
The steady snowfall kept Auglaize County Engineer’s Office crews busy much of the day.
Engineer Doug Reinhart said plows were out early Thursday morning to keep up with the snow.
“The wind makes it critical with the light, fluffy snow,” Reinhart said. “I look at the wind more than the total inches of snowfall. If it’s 4 to 5 inches and the wind doesn’t blow, we can have the roads cleared in a few passes.”
If the winds remain low — which are forecast to be near 10 mph this weekend — drifting should not be a problem. However if winds pick up to near 20 mph, Reinhart said roads could become treacherous.
“If the forecast stays true, once it stops we will be able to clear the roads and they will stay reasonably clear,” Reinhart said. “If the wind picks up to 20 mph then it will rearrange the snow and for all weekend we will have a problem.”
Sub-zero wind chills also could help keep roads clear. The low temperatures often cause the top layers of snow to crust over, which can help prevent drifting.
“I took a reading this morning and as of 12:59 p.m., there was 3.3 inches of snow in Wapakoneta and just over 3 inches in St. Marys,” Auglaize County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Troy Anderson said. “The biggest thing to look at is with this amount of snow is it’s light and dry. With winds that could pick up, there could be drifting. If you don’t have to go out, don’t.”
Anderson said he tracks daily weather information across the county. During snow events, he takes periodic measurements and also determines how much water is contained within the snow.
“I take the snow amount and melt it down through evaporation,” Anderson said. “I take the water equivalency of snow and each time it’s different. That will determine if we have a melt, how much water we will see.”
Anderson said the data helps him determine areas that could be prone to flooding if a melt takes place. The data is plotted on a map and can be used in the event of a flood.
While the storm was anticipated, Anderson said changes to the National Weather Service’s warning system placed the county under a winter storm advisory instead of a warning or watch. Under the new guidelines, there must be 6 inches of snow in 12 hours or 8 in 24 hours to be placed under a warning.
Anderson reported a total of 5.25 inches fell.
In St. Marys, 10 city trucks worked to keep roads clear. General Services Superintendent Denny Craft said crews will work until the snow dissipates.
Given the snowfall amount, Craft encouraged residents to move vehicles off city roads if possible.
“Anytime we get more than 2 inches, it’s nice if they can move them and let us get it laid back to the curb,” Craft said. “We really don’t like plowing people in, especially when 5 to 6 inches are out there and some big drifts are around them. It leaves a pretty good pile. If they have room to get them off the road, that is great.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 January 2010 )
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