Hello!

As many of you know by now, VDOT finally came through last night with plows and a truck to clear Fieldmaster. Getting this road cleared was a community effort. Many residents, including myself, voiced their concerns to VDOT and to the county, and our actions seem to have paid off.

As Fieldmaster is still congested, please use caution when driving.

Loaders also worked through the entire community clearing streets, opening roads and pushing back piles in an effort to make our roads safer and easier to navigate. All work has been complete. In order to keep our roads clear, please do not throw snow into the streets or around the mailboxes.

With roads clear and passable, trash trucks should now be able to gain access to the community. I don't see any reason why there will not be trash collection on Monday.

I know parking is at a premium, with all the snow in the area. Several residents have complained about cars being improperly parked and it has caused problems. Please do not park in the streets, block roadways or use spaces that do not belong to you.

Thank you to everyone for working together during this difficult time....banding together to help shovel each other out, digging out stranded cars, clearing snow away from mailboxes...we have faced many challenges during the past few weeks and we made it through!

Thank you for your patience, cooperation and understanding!

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Thursday, Feb 11, 4:41pm

Thought I would pass this along...we all know Fieldmaster is one of those streets awaiting its turn, hopefully they have received enough messages so it shows up on their to-plow list!
-KMV4

Below is an email from Ms. Sharon Bulova from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

During the past week my office has received many calls and emails from county residents concerned about snow removal.

While all roads in Fairfax County are owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), county staff, and I personally, have been working to make sure we receive sufficient attention and resources to respond to this unprecedented series of snow events.

Early this morning I participated in a conference call with VDOT and our county Emergency Management personnel. I also spoke at length with the Secretary of Transportation.

As a result of these conversations we have been assured that VDOT is making neighborhood streets that were not plowed after the weekend storm a major priority today. Additionally, VDOT crews and equipment from other parts of the Commonwealth are being deployed to this area to augment local VDOT resources.

Although the county is closed today, members of our staff and I are taking messages off our phone message machine and the Chairman's email address.

My office is regularly sending information regarding emergency situations and conditions, along with streets and neighborhoods that remain unplowed to VDOT. They are using these lists (and lists from other county supervisors) to prioritize snow plowing efforts in residential areas. Hopefully, we will see progress by today's end.

Fairfax County has limited snow removal capability. Our capacity to clear snow from county facilities such as police and fire stations, commuter lots, schools, parks and libraries has also been tested during these snow storms. We, like VDOT, are working around the clock to get things opened up.

In the meantime, stay off the streets as much as you can so that snow plowing can continue as efficiently as possible during these difficult conditions. Please be safe, be patient, and look out for your neighbors.

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Wednesday, Feb 10, 12:21pm

I received the following information from Bladerunners regarding snow plowing.....

We have worked all night and managed to plow all of our properties one time. As you know we have 50mph winds and close to a real Blizzard situation. We feel that it is an unsafe environment to provide snow service. If we continue to work our people will be exhausted in the early evening when we can really start to get some thing done.

We are going to stop all plowing operation and resume when the snow stops this evening. I expect that it will take thru the entire day tomorrow to plow all of the properties. Sanding operation is likely to begin tomorrow evening.

Please! every think good thoughts today. Lets hope the weatherman was correct with only 12” (I can’t believe I am saying only 12”).

Again I would re-iterate that stopping folks from throwing snow in the street, should be a big priority tomorrow.

As you can see, due to poor weather conditions, plowing services have been temporarily suspended.

Please, if you do not need to go out, stay home. Roads are in poor condition and white out conditions are making it nearly impossible to drive. A car was stuck on Fieldmaster, and the plow had to turn back as he could not get onto the property.

I am in contact with Bladerunners and will continue to monitor weather conditions, plowing, sanding and salting. Some residents have asked again about loader service. As I mentioned before, we have requested this service, but due to this new storm, loader service has been suspended. When it becomes available, I will try to keep you posted on the progress.

Bladerunners has requested that you do not clean off your car in the roads, or throw snow into the roads. It makes it more difficult to remove the snow and creates more problems for our plows. I know space is limited at this time...but please do not add more snow to the roads.

Stay inside....stay warm and stay safe. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during these storms.

One important note.....please be sure your dryer vent is clear of snow. There have reports of fires due to blocked vents.

I will do my best to keep you informed as things continue to unfold.

If your neighbors did not get this email, they should email info@keenemillvillage.org and we will add them to the distribution list!

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Tuesday, Feb 9, 2:47pm

This is a copy of the message sent out by Pat Herrity's (Board of Supervisors, Springfield district) office...some helpful info and phone numbers should you need them as the second round of snow hits...

SNOW UPDATE
Just as we begin to dig ourselves out of one of the largest winter storms in recent memory the region must again embrace for another storm expected to bring close to a foot or more of snow. I have witnessed first hand in my neighborhood and throughout the district how people have reached out to help one another in a time of need and sometimes in these conditions that is all one can do and hope for. As we continue to face horrific conditions I would ask that we all look out for one another, making certain that our elderly and those with small children are checked on periodically. Now is a time to show our strength as a community and help each other out.

My office has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails and my staff is doing its best to address them as quickly as possible. I provided snow removal information on the last Herrity Report and have provided some of it below. In addition, I am also including the contact information for Dominion Power and NOVEC as this upcoming storm is certain to cause more trees to fall and subsequent outages:

Dominion Virginia Power, 1-888-667-3000
Website: http://www.dom.com/storm-center/storm-preparation-tips.jsp

NOVEC, 1-888-335-0500
Website: http://www.novec.com/customcf/novecmap/outagenew.cfm?method=getCounty&county=all

If Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews have not yet visited your street, call 703-383-VDOT or e-mail novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov with the location and pictures if you would like to include them. Although plowing is a state responsibility, if you found VDOT unresponsive regarding a specific roadway, missed spot, or problem area, please let my office know via e-mail at springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov and we will provide your complaint directly to the NOVA District Administrator's office.

VDOT asks that residents be aware of the following:

• The main, more heavily traveled roads in a subdivision will be plowed first, to be followed by low-volume roads and cul-de-sacs.
• Plows will make one or two trips to provide a path through neighborhood streets, but they will not clear to bare pavement or from curb to curb.
• Because chemicals are not used in subdivisions, roads will remain snow-packed and rutted after the plow has passed. Crews will sand hills, curves and intersections as needed to provide traction.
• If planning to shovel their driveways, residents should try to refrain from clearing the last few feet at the curb until your street is plowed, as plows may push snow back into driveways. It also helps to shovel to the right as you face the road.
• VDOT does not remove snow from sidewalks or trails.
• VDOT plow drivers have assigned routes that include each and every state-maintained road in northern Virginia.
• Call 911 if you have a medical emergency and need to leave your home.
• Please work to clear snow and ice away from all hydrants so that they are easily visible in the event of a fire.

--Pat Herrity

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Monday, Feb 8, 11:16am

I wanted to take a moment to reach as many residents as possible, to let you know where we stand with the snow and clean up efforts.

We have had several plow runs through the community as of today, Monday. One court was missed during the last run, and that issue has been addressed.

I know we are short on space, and I have requested loader service to aid in cleanup. The loader would move piles around, and help clear out areas. Unfortunately, the loader is currently being used to address safety issues in other communities, and will not be available for several days. More than likely, we will not see the loader on our property before the next predicted snowfall on Tuesday/Wednesday.

I am aware of one pine tree down in the community. This tree is on property, away from roads, and we will make a further assessment after some of the snow melts.

I am in contact with our plowing company on a daily basis, and attempting to make sure we get all necessary services. Due to the high volume of snow and the weight of the snow, a number of their trucks are down due to damage. Please be patient, I am working to get things done as quickly as possible.

A number of people have asked about Fieldmaster Drive. Fieldmaster is a county road, and does not belong to any of Keene Mill Village communities. VDOT handles this road, and will get to it at some point.

We are all frustrated and tired of the snow. Please be patient as we work our way through this latest snow storm, and the ones to come. Also, please share this information with your neighbors so we can all stay informed.

Email is a great way to communicate this type of information and we have a distribution list much shorter than number of residents! Ask your neighbors if the received this email... if not, they should email info@keenemillvillage.org and we will add them to the list.

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Monday, Feb 8, 8:11am

According to American Disposal's website, there will be no trash service today (Mon Feb 8)...service scheduled to resume for next pickup day (for us this is Thursday).

Their site : http://americandisposal.com --Due to inclement weather, Monday Feb. 8 offices will be closed and service is suspended until your next scheduled pickup day.--

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