To the Editor:
Once again, the Arlington County government has proven to be completely tone deaf when dealing with residents. The duality of hiding under the parasol of being a sleepy Southern town, the government of which cannot properly plow after snow in a timely fashion, while acting high handed to our needs reached new heights after the blizzard.
Just hours after the snow stopped falling this week, the county issued emergency text alerts and Facebook postings reminding residents that they had until Monday noon to clean off their sidewalks. Citing some ridiculous ordinance requiring they clear the entire width of sidewalks 36 hours after a snowfall of six inches or more, the county completely failed to take note that they had neither plowed or even looked at most neighborhood streets. Unlike Mayor Bowser in Washington, D.C., Arlington officials neither waived this ordinance nor originally gave residents a few more days to comply. (After some outcry they did say they wouldn’t cite anyone until the 27th. I suppose we were to be thrilled with that.)
When challenged, the county tried to hide under the hard work of the emergency workers and plow truck operators asking for our patience with street clearing. Understanding the pressure the plow crews and emergency workers were under was not issue. These people are doing an incredible amount of work with apparently an inadequate supply of equipment and a lack of proper training. The issue is with the total lack of understanding, feeling or awareness on the part of those officials responsible for not only issuing such an absurd ordinance but for sending out warning notices even before plowing commenced in most neighborhoods.
If Arlington wishes to have a snow removal ordinance, here are some steps needed for improvement:
Give homeowners 36 hours from when the county does its job — that is removing snow and trash. Often when the trucks do come through they toss the snow back into the sidewalks making the residents’ work mute.
Purchase enough equipment to deal with our blizzards which we have with regularity.
Teach drivers how to maneuver in blizzard conditions to prevent them from being stuck and how to bank snow so it doesn’t fall back on sidewalks as much as it now does or block cleared driveways.
Work with neighborhood associations to identify elderly and disabled residents and establish an active and ongoing program to organize people to assist with their snow removal and other emergency needs.
Since raising taxes doesn’t seem to be an issue in the county, I am sure it can find money somewhere to accomplish these goals.
At the very least, striking a sympathetic and apologetic chord while they figure out how to do their own job would be a nice start.
Joan Porte
Arlington