Northwest Arkansans making the afternoon commute home on Friday, Feb. 27, ran into a mild snow storm. About four inches of snow fell in Benton and Washington counties, which left roads slick and drivers scurrying to find alternate routes.
In Bella Vista, Street Department crews immediately went to work trying to clear the roads, but were hampered by rush-hour traffic and continuous snowfall.
"That was probably the worst part of it, compared to last time, when traffic wasn't out and about," said Mike Button, Street Department Superintendent. "We just tried to get to as many places as fast as we could."
Button said crews were treating streets as the snow was falling, but adverse road conditions and snow accumulation made their job more difficult than normal.
"We were just trying to keep after it and keep after it, hoping it (would) stop snowing," he said. "But it never really quit. When you clear a road and go back in the other direction and it's already covered up, it makes it tougher."
Street Department crews focused first on the "major arterials" before making their way into the residential areas, Button said. Major arterials include roads such as Trafalgar and Kingsland.
"There's still some shaded areas and (ice) patchy areas," Button said. "But we pretty much got it under control."
Not long after 3:30 p.m., when snow started accumulating on roadways, Bella Vista Police were besieged with reports of accidents. The scanner stayed busy for most of the afternoon, with dispatch logs showing 14 reported accidents and nearly 20 request for motorist assists. Several residents were forced to abandon their vehicle as well.
While most calls were real emergencies, some residents tied up phone lines with considerably less-than-urgent messages. One man wanted to know where his tax dollars where going, because the roads were slick and he nearly drove off the road. Another called into report that an SUV was driving with its lights off.
Late Saturday evening, police potentially prevented another accident when they pulled over a driver southbound on U.S. 71 whose vehicle's windshield was "completely iced over," according to dispatch logs. Officers gave the driver a verbal warning and made him clear his windshield before letting him head off.
Bella Vista Fire Chief Steve Sims and Mayor Peter Christie worked late into Friday evening to check on stranded drivers. Sims said the snow wasn't one of the worst storms he's seen, but its timing didn't help.
"It's been a long time since we've had snow right at (rush hour)," he said.
Christie made a special announcement via the City's web page that trash service was canceled for Monday, March 2, and would be one day behind schedule this week.
"I was on the phone with (Republic Services Waste Management) and they are very reluctant to put trucks on the road if there's any level of ice," Christie said. "A lot of people got upset, but we tried to put the word out on BCalert and the (City) website."
Christie added that his first priority is safety, no matter the situation. If a multi-ton vehicle lost control, it puts the driver and residents in danger, he said.
On Dec. 4, a Republic Services truck crashed into a garage on Westbury Drive after its brakes failed. The force of the collision also destroyed the homeowner's car, which was parked in the driveway. There were no injuries, but authorities on the scene had to halt a gasoline leak.
While Christie said he's cognizant of resident's complaints, he urged patience and praised the Street Department for its efforts.
"We got about 85 percent of the roads done (Sunday)," Christie said. "I can understand that everyone wants their streets plowed first. But after sitting down with the (Street Department) Superintendent, if we did everybody's street in 24 hours, it would take about 165 people working three shifts and 55 snow plows."
Bella Vista has about 500 miles of streets, which is more than Little Rock, the state's capitol and largest city in terms of population. The Street Department has 13 plows and staff of about 20 people.
Currently, the Street Department focuses first on major roads, which are designated by the number of houses on the street. The smaller plows then go to secondary and tertiary streets, Christie said.
Residents who seek priority snow removal can sign up online via the City's website. Priority medical conditions include chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis treatments or home hospice care.
Visit www.cityofbellavista.com and click on the link "medical priority snow removal request." It's in a box at the top-right of the page.
Print the form, fill it out and mail or return it to City Hall at 101 Town Center. Mailing address is City of Bella Vista P.O. Box 5655 (101 Town Center) Bella Vista, AR 72714. Call City Hall at 479-876-1255 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
General News on 03/04/2015