I'm not sure why they waited until Friday at 6 p.m. to release this information, but the folks at the Cheshire Town Hall released an update on their efforts to clear the streets of snow. If you have any comments or questions after reading this, call me at 203-789-5706 or e-mail them to me at lturmelle@nhregister.com. I'll try to get them answered on Monday.

Here's the news release:

SNOW STORM CONDITIONS UPDATE

The latest winter storm of January 26 and 27, 2011 continued to add to record snowfall totals. The Town has been as aggressive as possible to keep our 151 miles of Town roads clear and safe, while also clearing parking lots and sidewalks for our Town buildings.

The Town will continue to address snow related issues, especially with the potential of more snow in the near future, and residents are asked for their cooperation and assistance.

Specifically, we ask the public to be aware of the following conditions:

• There are many large areas of piled snow which the Town will be removing as soon as
possible utilizing Town crews and subcontractors. Snow piles at locations such as cul-de-sacs
that do not create public safety issues will not be removed.

• Sight lines for intersections along state roads and more heavily traveled Town roads will be
prioritized. Less traveled intersections in residential neighborhoods will be cleared after the
priority intersections have been addressed.

Sight lines for private driveways will be the responsibility of the homeowner. Cheshire police remind the traveling public to use caution when approaching and entering intersection, especially when lights are red. Even if the intersection is not marked as “No Right on Red,” it is strongly suggested that motorists do not make right hand turns until the traffic light has turned green to avoid the risk of an accident.

• Sidewalks must be cleared by property owners. Cheshire Ordinances require residents to
clear the sidewalk in front of their properties within 24 hours of the end of the snow fall.

We ask the public to be diligent in performing this function as it can become a serious public safety hazard.

Sidewalk clearing is especially critical in areas around schools and in high pedestrian traffic areas. The Town will be aggressively enforcing this Ordinance, which includes a fine for non-compliance.

• The traveling lanes of Town roads have been narrowed. The height of the snow piles on the
sides of the roads offers little opportunity to further push the snow back off the roads; doing so
would push snow onto cleared driveways and sidewalks.

Therefore, the Town cannot clear the roads to the edge of the pavement, so residents may need to dig out their mailboxes. The Town will eventually need to open up access to storm drains, but this is not a priority at this time.

• Fire hydrants have been buried by the snow, and the Cheshire Fire Department is attempting
to clear them, which is critical for public safety. Given the amount of snow and limited staff,
most of whom are volunteer firefighters, it is unlikely that the Fire Department will be able to
get to all hydrants. We are appealing to the public to assist us by clearing any fire hydrants that
abut your property.

• The Curbside Trash and Recycling collection schedule has been slightly impacted, and the
hauler is doing their best to catch up; please be aware that collection may be slightly delayed.
Residents are asked to leave their trash and recyclables out on their regular collection day, and
to place the material where it will not hinder traffic, which we know can be a challenge with
the large amount of snow bordering the road.

We thank our residents for your patience and cooperation during this challenging winter.