Not so n-ice storm hits county

PRINCETON — Winter might not officially start until Sunday, but you couldn’t prove it by Bureau County.

On Friday, schools around the county closed their doors for the first time this winter due to the ice and snow storm that hit the area late Thursday night and Friday morning.

One of those school districts to close was Bureau Valley, which covers about 340 square miles on the western third of Bureau County. The district runs a total of about 28 school buses for all its various school programs and services.

Bureau Valley Superintendent Terry Gutshall said he tries to make any decision about school cancellations or postponements by 6 a.m., so parents can make arrangements for their children. Before making a decision to cancel school, he receives input from some of the 14 road commissioners that service the district and also checks information from the local sheriff’s department, state police and weather sources.

For the first time on Friday, Gutshall used a new automated phone system which calls staff and parents in a few minutes to inform them about school cancellation.

“We want to use technology the best we can to keep people informed about what is going on at Bureau Valley,” Gutshall said. “With the weather and school cancellations, we will always err on the side of caution.”

On Friday morning, Bureau County Engineer John Gross said his crews had been out since 8 p.m. Thursday and were continuing to work throughout the day.

“We’ve had a pretty unique mix of precipitation, with some strong sleet and freezing rains,” Gross said. “The roads are pretty much ice-packed and now it’s snowing. We just couldn’t keep up last night, but the roads should be much more passable by this afternoon.”

For now, Gross said the county has a good supply of materials to put on the roads. However, the more material used, the more expensive it is for the county. The winter storms also bring additional expenses of overtime and increased fuel costs, Gross said.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Gross said more snow and increased windy conditions are predicted. With that in mind, it’s best for people stay off the roads if possible, he said.