FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
January 30, 2010, 4:30 a.m.

Town of Cary's A-Team Attacks Streets with Plowing Efforts

CARY, NC – The snow continues to fall in Cary, and the Town of Cary’s Snow Fighters are out in full force plowing Cary’s thoroughfares and collector streets. Since the first signs of wintry weather last evening, there have been 18 storm-related traffic accidents, two with non-life threatening injuries, reported thus far in Cary.

“As we continue to see steady snow accumulation, we remind citizens to stay off the roads as much as possible, both for their own safety as well as to let our crews be the most efficient in their plowing efforts,” said Town of Cary Public Works Director Scott Hecht. “If you must venture outside, be sure to check the road conditions using the traffic cameras and plan accordingly.”

The Town of Cary offers real-time streaming video information of 23 major intersections in Cary through its wink program. Wink is available 24-hours a day at the Town of Cary Web site, Cary TV 11 on Time Warner Cable channel 11 and AT&T Uverse Channel 8. Images on the Web site are refreshed every three minutes, and no specific software is needed to access wink.

The A-Team plows thoroughfares, primary roads in subdivisions, followed by through-streets in subdivisions and then cul-de-sacs. The Town does not clear private parking lots, including those in apartment and condominium complexes or at businesses.

On Thursday and Friday of this week, Town crews applied brine throughout North Carolina’s seventh largest community. The town has 56 pieces of snow fighting equipment available to clear Cary’s 470 miles of roads, of which about 118 miles are state-maintained roads.

OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

The Town of Cary Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources programs, classes, and sports activities are canceled for today. The Winter Wonderland events scheduled for Bond Park on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 have also been cancelled. For more information, call (919) 469-4061 or any Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources facility. For a listing of facility information, visit the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources on the Town’s Web site, www.townofcary.org.

C-Tran has canceled all services today and will not be operational. A decision on Monday’s operations schedule will be announced on tomorrow.

The Citizens Convenience Center will be closed today. A decision on Sunday’s operations schedule will be announced later this afternoon.

Citizens are reminded of the following tips during inclement weather: 

• Do not park on streets so that plows and other Town equipment can service the area.
• Be mindful of slick roadways. As temperatures continue to remain at or below freezing, roads may be more hazardous than they appear.
• Take precaution when going outside to enjoy the winter weather. Stay off the streets when sledding and make sure to only go sledding in open areas away from dense trees or waterways.
• Do not attempt to deal with downed limbs or trees on streets or sidewalks as they may be tangled in live power lines. Instead, call the Town at (919) 469-4090.
• Do not call 911 unless there is an immediate threat to life, health or property. All non-emergency snow calls should be placed to (919) 469-4090. Complete wintry weather information is also available on the Town’s Web site, www.townofcary.org. 
• Be neighborly.  Check on neighbors to make sure that everyone is OK. 
• Stay indoors during severe winter weather. If you do decide to venture out—whether walking or driving—let folks know when and where you are going so that they can contact emergency officials should you fail to reach your destination. Take a cell phone just in case.

 
Subscribe now to our free e-mail service for the latest Cary info. The Town typically updates citizens and the media with news releases throughout winter weather events each morning, afternoon and evening. Just click on the green envelope for “E-mail Alerts” on the Town’s Web site, www.townofcary.org. Also, monitor road conditions 24/7 via the Town’s traffic camera system by visiting the wink traffic camera section of the Web site or tuning into Cary TV 11 on Time Warner Cable Channel 11 or AT&T Uverse Channel 8.

The next news release update will be issued around 3 p.m. unless changing conditions warrant sooner action.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: 
Scott Hecht, Public Works Director, (919) 469-4090
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, (919) 393-4383