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Storm keeps schools closed
  
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By Chris Michlewicz
Winter weather has shut down schools for a second consecutive day as Douglas County continues to get walloped by the first snowstorm of the season.
Forecasters were predicting 8-24 inches of snow by the end of Thursday, and Douglas County remains on accident alert.
Douglas County School District schools have been shut down, and many offices are taking precautions by shutting down early or closing altogether.
School officials decided Wednesday night to close all Douglas County schools, including preschools, childcare, and before and after-school activities.
said Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The decision to close the schools was based on the predictions.
“Because of the timing of the storm, it will pick up around 2-3 p.m. when parents are driving their kids home from school,” said Fran Santagata, director of emergency management for Douglas County. “It becomes a situation where it would be putting kids at risk.”
Log on to www.dcsdk12.org for the latest information on school closures.
Castle Rock had its road crews out in full force since the snow began to fall.
But the FrontRange Express commuter bus service, which runs between Colorado Springs and Denver with stops in Castle Rock, was running about and hour and 15 minutes behind Wednesday.
Plows moved into neighborhoods late Wednesday evening.
Several town activities and events have been canceled or postponed as a result of the storm. Libraries were closed, swimming lessons at the recreation center were cancelled and municipal courts were shut down for the evening session on Wednesday.
Roxborough and Deckers, on the western end of Douglas County, could be hit hardest by the storm. However, some forecasts have the possible snow totals closer to one foot. Santagata said their forecaster, Skyview Weather, is predicting 14 inches or less of snowfall.
Some might be overreacting to the forecast because it is the first big snowfall of 2009 and it has come earlier in the season than usual, Santagata said. But the local emergency operations center is on standby in case the county is hit hard by the storm.
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the department reminded everyone on its Twitter account to drive safely.
“The roads are very slick this morning so please be careful,” the latest posting says.
Residents can visit the department of emergency management’s Twitter account at Douglas County OEM for updates on accidents, road closures and the latest weather updates.
Forecasters were predicting 8-24 inches of snow by the end of Thursday, and Douglas County remains on accident alert.
Douglas County School District schools have been shut down, and many offices are taking precautions by shutting down early or closing altogether.
School officials decided Wednesday night to close all Douglas County schools, including preschools, childcare, and before and after-school activities.
said Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The decision to close the schools was based on the predictions.
“Because of the timing of the storm, it will pick up around 2-3 p.m. when parents are driving their kids home from school,” said Fran Santagata, director of emergency management for Douglas County. “It becomes a situation where it would be putting kids at risk.”
Log on to www.dcsdk12.org for the latest information on school closures.
Castle Rock had its road crews out in full force since the snow began to fall.
But the FrontRange Express commuter bus service, which runs between Colorado Springs and Denver with stops in Castle Rock, was running about and hour and 15 minutes behind Wednesday.
Plows moved into neighborhoods late Wednesday evening.
Several town activities and events have been canceled or postponed as a result of the storm. Libraries were closed, swimming lessons at the recreation center were cancelled and municipal courts were shut down for the evening session on Wednesday.
Roxborough and Deckers, on the western end of Douglas County, could be hit hardest by the storm. However, some forecasts have the possible snow totals closer to one foot. Santagata said their forecaster, Skyview Weather, is predicting 14 inches or less of snowfall.
Some might be overreacting to the forecast because it is the first big snowfall of 2009 and it has come earlier in the season than usual, Santagata said. But the local emergency operations center is on standby in case the county is hit hard by the storm.
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the department reminded everyone on its Twitter account to drive safely.
“The roads are very slick this morning so please be careful,” the latest posting says.
Residents can visit the department of emergency management’s Twitter account at Douglas County OEM for updates on accidents, road closures and the latest weather updates.
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