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Bells in GMF say snow
  
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By Pat Hill
While some might think the phrase “with bells on” might be cliché, in Green Mountain Falls the sound of bells heralds the arrival of the snow plow. Christmas bells, cow bells, the lyrical plow is a wee-hours greeting from the public works department.
“We get the roads cleared before the snow is compacted by traffic,” said department director Rob McArthur.
“People hear the bells — we might wake ‘em up, but they know we’re out there. We just want to have some fun with it.”
Looking into his crystal ball Oct. 23, McArthur predicts a winter that rivals those of 1997-98 and 2006-07. “This is a classic El Nino setup,” he said.
That means a concert of bells on the steep terrain of the mountain community, more time on the heavy equipment, and heightened odds of plowing into gas meters and fire hydrants.
This year McArthur’s ready — with 100 yellow flags from Black Hills Energy on top of the gas meters and red steel flags from Colorado Springs Utilities to signal the fire hydrants. The plows can do a curlicue around the abutments.
But that’s not all. With a new-used backhoe, a 9-inch wood chipper for clearing downed limbs and a new welder/generator for the maintenance barn, Green Mountain Falls’ residents have it all.
“We want everybody to be safe, want them to be able to get out in the morning to go to work, to carry on with life,” McArthur said. “Fortunately, Green Mountain Falls is connected directly to Highway 24. So all we have to do is get them to the highway and CDOT can take care of them after that.”
McArthur’s predictions are coming to fruition with the two-day snowstorm that began in the wee morning hours of Oct. 28.
“We have been out on the streets for 32 hours now with roughly a foot of new snow. No real problems, we just have to stay ahead of the snowfall,” McArthur wrote in an e-mail Oct. 29. “We appreciate everyone's patience during these two-day snow events. The kids are really enjoying the opportunity to try out their sleds on a snow day from school.”
“We get the roads cleared before the snow is compacted by traffic,” said department director Rob McArthur.
“People hear the bells — we might wake ‘em up, but they know we’re out there. We just want to have some fun with it.”
Looking into his crystal ball Oct. 23, McArthur predicts a winter that rivals those of 1997-98 and 2006-07. “This is a classic El Nino setup,” he said.
That means a concert of bells on the steep terrain of the mountain community, more time on the heavy equipment, and heightened odds of plowing into gas meters and fire hydrants.
This year McArthur’s ready — with 100 yellow flags from Black Hills Energy on top of the gas meters and red steel flags from Colorado Springs Utilities to signal the fire hydrants. The plows can do a curlicue around the abutments.
But that’s not all. With a new-used backhoe, a 9-inch wood chipper for clearing downed limbs and a new welder/generator for the maintenance barn, Green Mountain Falls’ residents have it all.
“We want everybody to be safe, want them to be able to get out in the morning to go to work, to carry on with life,” McArthur said. “Fortunately, Green Mountain Falls is connected directly to Highway 24. So all we have to do is get them to the highway and CDOT can take care of them after that.”
McArthur’s predictions are coming to fruition with the two-day snowstorm that began in the wee morning hours of Oct. 28.
“We have been out on the streets for 32 hours now with roughly a foot of new snow. No real problems, we just have to stay ahead of the snowfall,” McArthur wrote in an e-mail Oct. 29. “We appreciate everyone's patience during these two-day snow events. The kids are really enjoying the opportunity to try out their sleds on a snow day from school.”
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