Residents Are Required To Clear Their Sidewalks

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The Loudoun County ordinance (Chapter 1022) requires the owner/occupant of a property which has a public sidewalk adjoining or touching the property in front, rear or either side, to clear or treat that sidewalk for snow and ice within 6 hours of a snowfall (by 12:00 noon for overnight snowfall)

The Broadlands Association is not responsible for removing the snow from sidewalks in front of townhomes or single-family homes. This is the sole responsibility of the resident.  Property owners abutting common areas (i.e. along Ellzey Drive) are also responsible for clearing those sidewalks. This will provide a safe walkway for children going to school.

The Loudoun County Department of Building and Development is responsible for enforcement of this ordinance. Please report all complaints to Loudoun County via their online reporting tool, LEx – Loudoun Express Request, at this link: http://iframe.publicstuff.com/#/?client_id=1295&request_type_id=32432

Trash and Recycling Update for Thursday, January 28

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Message From Patriot Disposal: On Thursday, January 28th, we will be attempting to provide services for our regular Thursday customers. We are asking residents to make sure that all containers are accessible, movable and free from ice and snow. The conditions of many secondary roads remain poor. If we cannot safely operate our trucks on any of these roads, services will not be provided. If services are not provided, residents should bring their items back to their home; both trash and recycling service will then resume on their next regularly scheduled collection day.

We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this process!

Tuesday Snow Update: Crews Continue to Work Hard

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Thank you for your continued patience while we work on cleaning up the aftermath of the blizzard.  This storm has been historic in nature and with both the Federal Government and the Loudoun County Government closing offices again today, they are setting the expectation that this storm will take several more days to dig out from the tremendous amounts of snowfall.

HOA crews worked through the night and teams are still hard at work today.  Crews are currently dispatched in three teams and will continue to circulate to clear the HOA roads. In some cases, our plows have tried to access streets to clear additional lanes, but there are vehicles parked in the way and they cannot get the equipment safely in to clear the snow. They will move on to the next section and come back later in the hopes that vehicles have moved out of their paths. Please be aware that plows may block driveways with snow. With the volume of snowfall, this is an unintended consequence of clearing the roadways. We apologize for this inconvenience, but to make as many roads passable as quickly as possible, there is no way to avoid it.

VDOT does not have an ETA for making their secondary roads passable, but they are working diligently to do so. If you have a concern with a VDOT road, please check their website and contact them directly www.vdotplows.org.

The simple reality is  that one section will be first and one section will be the last to get cleared.  Not all roads can be made passable at once, and no one section takes priority over another, but all of the crews will continue to work until the roads are as clear as possible.

Supervisor Matt Letourneau provided perhaps the most in depth information regarding snow cleanup in his facebook post early Tuesday morning… https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=890273764418560&id=156558014456809.

To determine if you live on an HOA or VDOT street, please click HERE>>

Loudoun County Press Releases:

Leesburg Officials Ask for Patience as Snow Recovery Efforts Continue

Randall, along with Leesburg Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and Virginia Department of Transportation representative Jennifer McCord, urged residents to continue to stay off the roads to allow snow removal crews room to clear the roads.

McCord said VDOT’s goal is to make one lane of all subdivisions passable by 6:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 27, 2016. If residents do not have one passable lane by 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, they can contact VDOT at 1-800-FOR-ROAD or novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov . Randall added that if residents continue to have access issues, they can contact their district representative on the Board of Supervisors. Contact information for the Board is online at www.loudoun.gov/bos. Burk said the town of Leesburg’s “number one priority is getting access to all the residents.” Leesburg’s Director of Public Works and Capital Projects Renée LaFollette said the town’s goal is to have at least one path plowed on each residential street by 7:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Randall said county crews are working to clear sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and entry ways to county government facilities in an effort to reopen those facilities as quickly as possible.

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and Combined Fire-Rescue System Chief Keith Brower addressed public safety issues. Chapman thanked residents for heeding the call of emergency personnel to stay home during and after the storm. Chapman said his office responded to more than 250 disabled motorists over the past few days, 60 abandoned vehicles, and 40 weather-related crashes.  Brower said his staff has responded to about 550 incidents since Friday, which is about double the normal number of incidents.

Brower called on the public to continue helping firefighters by clearing a three-foot radius around fire hydrants, including residents of western Loudoun where there are dry hydrants. He also reminded residents to work in small increments when shoveling snow, as it can cause great exertion on the body and lead to cardiac arrest. He reminded residents if they are suffering a medical emergency, do not delay and call 911 immediately.

Also attending the news conference were: Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman and Ashburn District Supervisor Ralph Buona, Broad Run District Supervisor Ron Meyer, Leesburg District Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, Leesburg Council Members Tom Dunn and Suzanne Fox, Town Manager Kaj Dentler and Chief of Police Joe Price.

Loudoun County continues to provide updates on the effects of the storm at http://www.loudoun.gov and Facebook and Twitter.

After the Storm: Loudoun County Urges Residents to Stay Safe

As conditions slowly improve in Loudoun following the monumental snow storm, residents are encouraged to keep several things in mind today:

Travel

  • Avoid driving to give crews from the Virginia Department of Transportation room for snow removal efforts. VDOT crews are making progress, but snow removal with heavy equipment is a slow process. Crews continue to work around the clock, to plow and treat all roads.
  • If travel is a must, use extreme caution as even clear pavement is likely to be slick due to snow melting during the day and refreezing overnight.
  • In addition to the overnight refreeze, drivers should be alert to varying conditions and sudden changes on all roads. There may be limited visibility from high snow mounds encroaching on merges, intersections, and ramps. Lanes may be narrow and shift unexpectedly. Watch out for pedestrians and oncoming traffic.
  • On ramps and merge areas are not fully plowed, making merging into traffic difficult and often requiring a full stop.
  • Pedestrians should also heed the warning to stay off roadways. Do not walk in the middle of streets with traffic.
  • Check www.511virginia.org for the latest on road conditions.

Melting Snow/Falling Objects

  • Be aware of falling objects. As the temperature rises today, large amounts of snow or icicles may fall from roofs.
  • Clear downspouts at ground level. As the snow begins to melt, it needs someplace to go. Do not climb on your roof to remove the snow or ice.

Standing Water

  • With the weather forecast calling for temperatures above freezing and a chance of showers, standing water becomes a possibility. Take steps to prevent standing water from becoming an ice hazard.

Evening Update and LoCo Information

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Our plow operators keep working day and night to attempt to clear passable lanes on HOA owned streets. Most of these crews have not seen their own beds, more than a few hours of sleep, a hot meal, or their families in over 80 hours.  They are putting in long hours to help keep you safe.

To give you an idea of the sheer volume of snow they are dealing with, the association is responsible for 1.2 million square feet of road surface to clear (This figure does not include any community building parking lots or sidewalks and trails). 36” inches of snow means 3.6 million cubic feet of snow to clear. 5 lbs per cubic foot means 18 million pounds of snow to move – or roughly 9,000 tons. Granted those figures take into account clearing curb to curb, which is not feasible at this time. With plowing one passable lane, this still leaves about 4,000 TONS of snow to move – with the added complication of finding places to put it all. Please be patient as they do their best to clear your roads.
Additionally, since Virginia is under a state of emergency, some of our heavy equipment has been commandeered by the state in order to provide emergency assistance.  Two tractors were pulled for medical bone marrow donor emergencies, and additional crews are working at this moment to assist the state with other emergency medical needs. (Note: the HOA is not billed for the times when the plows are working for anyone other than the HOA.)  Please understand that they have not forgotten you.  They will be back as soon as they are able.
We continue to receive inquiries regarding VDOT roads, which the HOA has no jurisdiction over.  Please review the road list at the following link prior to contacting the HOA to check the ownership and maintenance responsibility:  https://www.broadlandshoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SnowRemoval.pdf.
We understand that the VDOT phone lines are overwhelmed as well, but please continue to contact VDOT directly at 703-383-8368. The HOA staff and contractors cannot assist with VDOT owned streets.
If you find yourself in a true emergency situation, dial 9-1-1. 
Loudoun County Urges Residents to Be Patient as Snow Removal Operations Continue
 
Loudoun County officials continue to work with our state and local partners to support snow removal operations.  We recognize that many residents are frustrated with plowing operations in their neighborhoods and we ask for patience as crews continue to work to help get people moving again.
The significant amounts of snowfall have impacted crews’ ability to clear roads as quickly as Loudoun County residents have seen following snowfalls in the past. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has advised that crews continue 24-hour operations in area subdivisions. VDOT and its contractors, who number about 9,600, have about 48,000 miles of subdivision roads to clear in the Northern Virginia District. In many places, we should not expect to see bare pavement for many days due to the volume of snow that has to be removed.
County officials recognize that many residents are concerned about who is responsible for snow removal on their neighborhood streets. While Loudoun County Government has been doing all it can to support snow removal operations, the county does not plow snow on the vast majority of roads in our community. Here’s some information about who maintains/plows roads:
  • VDOT is responsible for snow removal on state-managed roads. These typically include major roadways, secondary roads and subdivision roads that are not managed privately by homeowners associations (HOAs) or private-contract, such as shopping center lots.
  • The Towns of Purcellville and Leesburg are responsible for plowing town-managed roads within their jurisdictions.
  • HOAs or property-owners typically manage snow removal in residential areas, such as around townhomes, condos, apartments, and on private property.
  • Developers are responsible for a small number of developments that are still under their purview because the roads have not yet been entered into the state system; in these cases, developers have responsibility for removing snow.
  • Loudoun County removes snow from a very small number of streets that are managed by the county government.
The difficulty of snow removal efforts during this historic snow event has been compounded by a number of other factors. For example, some snow removal equipment that is typically used by contractors on residential streets has proven inadequate for the volume of snow that has fallen. As a result, heavy equipment (that is typically used on major roadways and highways) must be brought in to get the job done, which has delayed the plowing of many residential streets. VDOT crews are working non-stop to clear the 16,000 neighborhood streets in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties. Check for plow progress near your house.
VDOT advises:
  • Motorists should avoid unnecessary travel as low overnight temperatures likely will result in icy pavement conditions.
  • If residents have a serious emergency (i.e. medical or fire), they should call 9-1-1 and VDOT will work in coordination with emergency responders to get them the help they need.
  • Crews are asked to be mindful of pushing large piles onto driveways, but in an extreme storm it is an unintended consequence of making roads passable.
Call VDOT’s Customer Service Center at I-800-367-7623 for more information, including plowing and treatment of roadways.
Loudoun County Encourages Residents to Help  Each Other During Recovery Effort
 
Loudoun County encourages residents to work together as a community to help clear snow from sidewalks, trails, driveways and parking lots following the historic storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas. In particular, please help neighbors who need assistance due to their physical abilities, health or other conditions.
While the, homeowners associations, and private contractors are primarily responsible for snow removal, Loudoun County officials recommend that where possible, neighbors, faith communities, and other groups organize shovel brigades to help people safely move around our county again as soon as possible. Please consider helping your neighbors who might be away from home on vacation. With school out Monday through Wednesday, youngsters can take a break from video games and other indoor activities. Those who are lucky enough to own a snow blower could volunteer to share the equipment for a community snow-removal effort.
As a reminder, please shovel snow with care to avoid injury and over exertion. In addition, the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management suggests residents and clear a three-foot radius around the hydrant, which helps firefighters to quickly spot the hydrant and access it quickly in the event of an emergency.

Monday Plowing Update

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We are receiving complaints regarding HOA streets needing additional plow service.  We continue to dispatch crews to all HOA owned streets and appreciate your patience as we work on our digging out efforts.  Crews have been on site for three days clearing out roads, but will continue to work until all HOA owned roads are passable.  The dedicated snow plow phone is overwhelmed with calls wanting to know when streets will be open, so if you do not reach a live person, please be patient and try again.

We also have relieved a number of inquiries regarding VDOT roads.  Please review the road list prior to calling to check the ownership and maintenance responsibility and contact the appropriate party.  We understand that the VDOT phone lines are overwhelmed as well, but please continue to contact VDOT directly.  The HOA staff and contractors cannot assist with VDOT owned streets.  The list can be found online at https://www.broadlandshoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SnowRemoval.pdf.
If you find yourself in a true emergency situation, dial 9-1-1.