Fiscal Court Recap: County Road Department Discusses 48 Straight Hours Of Work In Winter Storm

Edmonson County Road Department facility.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County road crews battled the snow and ice for over a week with prepping and labor, which included a 48-hour shift during the recent winter storm that saw around a half inch of ice and up to 6 inches of snow in some parts of the county. 

County Road Supervisor Greg Carroll discussed the event in today's Edmonson County Fiscal Court meeting. He said that several crew members experienced plowing the roads for the first time when the first batch of ice hit the county on Thursday, February 11th. On Saturday, crews prepped trucks and equipment for more forecasted winter weather. 

Carroll said that crews then worked around the clock plowing county roads, spreading 500 tons of salt, and made several trips around all the county roads; some even working 48 straight hours.

"It's one thing to stay awake for 48 hours but it's another to be able to work like our guys worked through then," he said.

Carroll said there is about 100 tons of salt left at the county facility, which should be enough to get crews through this winter, barring another large winter event.

He also said that the lower temperatures and having new crew members slowed the process down a bit but they were still able to get the job completed. He also mentioned some complaints from residents who claimed plowed snow was piled up in front of driveways.

"We don't do that on purpose," he said. "There's no where else for that snow to go and there's nothing we can do about it."

He also mentioned that the county received some reports of damaged mailboxes as a result of plow trucks.

"People think our drivers hit the mailboxes with the plow, but they get damaged from the snow that comes off the blades. If anyone had a mailbox damaged, call the Judge Executive's office and we'll take care of it."

It is notable that there is a difference in county road mailboxes and state road mailboxes. Calls for county road mailboxes will need to be directed to the Judge Cannon's office but state road incidents are not handled by the county.

Carroll said that over 1000 man hours were logged during the storm and he publicly thanked all crew members. He said the estimated cost of the snow prep and removal was around $90,000.

Sheriff Shane Doyle reported a quiet office during the storm regarding accidents. He said there was not a single accident call for service during that time; however, he said calls for domestic incidents spiked during the winter storm.

The jailer report was read by Judge Wil Cannon, who said there were currently 13 county inmates housed at the Hart County Jail with one on home incarceration.

County Attorney Greg Vincent said his office has reopened after being closed from the storm and that the office workload was backed up due to the closing and from court being postponed. He said that court is scheduled to resume on Tuesday of this week.

County Clerk Kevin Alexander also reported his office being open now after the storm and he said he and his team was glad to be back at work.

Judge Executive Cannon then discussed the state of emergency declared last week by executive order that shut down all county offices. The order lasted through Saturday, February 20th. His report was acknowledged by the fiscal court.

The court also voted to:​​

• Acknowledge 2020 Fire Departments Annual Audits.
• Approve Lang Company Software Support Agreement.
• Approve Ordinance EC21-05-Budget Amendment, Second Reading and Adoption Budget
• Acknowledge BGWC January Shelter Directors Report.

​​The next fiscal court is scheduled to be held virtually on March 8, 2021 at 9AM.