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Morton Grove Public Works chief on 1st blast of winter: It was snow problem at all
A Morton Grove Public Works snowplow makes its way through the neighborhoods during the first big snowfall of the year Jan. 12. | Curtis Lehmkuhl~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:25AM
Last week’s snowfall proved to be a routine exercise for the Morton Grove Public Works Department, its director reported.
After taking a tour of the streets about 8 a.m., crews waited until late-afternoon before making the rounds, Andy DeMonte said.
The department had at its disposal nearly 30 pieces of equipment, including nine salt trucks.
Once the temperature started to dip about 2 p.m. the snow began to stick and work began in earnest, DeMonte said.
By 10:30 p.m. Jan. 12 most Public Works employees went home to rest, he said.
“But we still had three guys out to keep up with the state roads — Waukegan, Dempster,” DeMonte said. “Everyone came back to work at 4 a.m. (Jan. 13) and by 7 a.m. we had the whole town cleared.”
As of noon Jan. 13, crews still were out checking to make sure the roads remained clear, he noted.
“It was pretty routine,” he added.
As the storm ran its course, police officers responded to six vehicle crashes and assisted six stranded motorists, Cmdr. Paul Yaras said.
Parents of Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69 had a bit of a problem trying to drive their children to school.
“I don’t know if it had anything to do with the weather, but the gates on the (CTA) Skokie Swift lines went down for no apparent reason,” Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said. “Police had to wave people through. That slowed down parents and buses for about 10 to 15 minutes, but it didn’t affect attendance.”
