Wintery weather takes toll on region

By GREG JORDAN
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

November 18, 2008 06:57 pm

— PRINCETON — County school systems in both Virginias closed Tuesday when a snowstorm swept through the region, but forecasters with the National Weather Service expected sunny skies for today.
The weather service predicted sunny skies for today with a 30 percent chance of snow tonight; little or no accumulation was expected. A 50 percent chance of rain and snow was forecasted for Thursday.
Schools in Mercer, McDowell and Monroe counties canceled classes along with Tazewell and Buchanan counties in Virginia. Schools in Bland County, Va. were on a two hour delay. Buchanan County and Tazewell County schools will be on a two hour delay today.
Free days that can be turned into instructional days are built into school calendars.
In Mercer County, Tuesday’s closing will use up one of four days, said Superintendent Deborah Akers of Mercer County Schools. Free days called outside school environment days–March 6, 13, 20 and 27–can be used to make up for snow days. If winter weather does not close schools, the allotted days are days off.
If all the outside days are used to replace snow days, no additional make up days can be added, Akers said.
“Then we just lose the instructional time,” she said. “The laws in West Virginia are such that we cannot extend the calendar beyond the ending day that’s been established, and we cannot use Saturday.”
Department of highways spokesmen in both Virginias said snow removal proceeded as planned Tuesday.
“It went really well,” said Alan Reed, District 10 maintenance engineer for the West Virginia Department of Highways. “We were pleased for the first snow we had. Things went really well for us. We have day shift and evening crews out all throughout the season, and we have equipment on stand by for any snow that might come.”
Road salt was in good supply, Reed said. “We monitor salt supplies throughout the season.”
In Virginia and West Virginia, road crews cleared primary highways before working on secondary roads.
“Well, right now the primaries are all clear, but they (crews) are working on the secondary roads,” said Harold Sargent, maintenance operations manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation in Tazewell County. “They will work tonight, but if snow comes back, they will have to clear the primaries first and come back to the secondaries. We have plenty of salt. They started delivering salt yesterday (Monday) and we had salt on hand, anyway.”
Motorists should stay 500 feet behind salt trucks to ensure safety, Sargent said.