Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the Snow Summit
17000 Crabbs Branch Way, Gaithersburg
As prepared
Good morning. I want to welcome everyone to the 2016 Snow Summit.
The last several winters in Montgomery County have been remarkable – and our County staff and contractors have been just as remarkable.
For example, in 2010, we had Snowmaggedon and you rose to that challenge.
During the winter of 2014-2015, we had 23 wintry events with total accumulations averaging 38 inches – and even 46 inches in parts of Upcounty. There were back-to-back storms and you rose to the challenge.
Last winter, including “Snowpocalypse” 2016, total accumulations averaged 40 inches, and some Upcounty locations received more than 53 inches. It was really something, and you rose to the occasion, again.
I’m grateful that each time – despite how fierce the storms were – our staff and contractors dug in hard to dig us out.
You are the heroes who get County roads and streets cleared as quickly as possible so that everyone can get around again.
A couple weeks ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted this coming winter might be an average one for our area. Specifically, they rated us as having an “equal chance” of above-normal, near-normal, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation.
Although Montgomery County is proud that we excel in many, many areas – I think we would be OK if we turn out to have near-normal precipitation this winter.
However, in response to our recent above-normal snow situations, we have taken steps to improve our snow-clearing operations.
Earlier this year, we reopened the Colesville Highway Maintenance Depot with more vehicle maintenance bays to fix snow plows; an enlarged salt barn that holds 8,500 tons of salt; and, most importantly, better accommodations for the dedicated staff who work round-the-clock shifts until the roads are cleared.
We also upgraded our 3-1-1 phone system this year, shifting from copper to fiber phone lines to provide far more capacity.
Soon, we will have a contract in place to hire extra staffing for any overflow situations that require more help.
With our very talented staff and contractors, plus the improvements we’ve been making, we are as ready as possible for whatever Mother Nature will provide.
I also want to note that these storms present challenging costs and we need to prepare for those too. Our MCDOT and DGS units alone spent more than $32 million addressing snow and ice events during the winter of 2014-2015 and spent more than $38 million during the winter of 2015-2016.
As rule of thumb, it costs about a million dollars to clean up an inch of snow. So, you might understand why, when I see snow, I see bills falling from the sky - Lots and lots of bills.
And, you can appreciate how flexible our budgets need to be to respond to these unpredictable weather events.
Our staff and contractors are out in some of the worst weather, at all hours, to help our residents and businesses.
You’ve got a tough assignment, and I hope the changes we’ve been implementing will make your work more comfortable and more efficient.
I also appreciate the work you do on a daily basis, to:
repave and maintain our roads, curbs and sidewalks;
keep our streets free of leaves;
maintain our roadside trees;
and keep our streets and streams free of pollutants.
Again, I hope none of us has to dig as deep this year as in recent years.
However, I am very proud that Montgomery County has so many great snowplow operators, mechanics, engineers and others who are ready to dig us out – no matter what.
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10 a.m.