MANSFIELD — Since 5 a.m. Saturday morning, the city of Mansfield has been working nonstop to clear the roads.
The city has used all of its 14 trucks and crews have worked back-to-back 12-hour shifts, Mayor Tim Theaker explained Tuesday.
“Please be patient. We are doing the best we can with the amount of trucks and the number of people we have,” Theaker said. “We are working around the clock.”
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, Richland County remained under a Level 1 snow emergency. People are advised to drive very cautiously. Roadways are still considered hazardous because of blowing and drifting snow and may be icy.
Mansfield City Schools, Madison, St. Peter’s, Lexington, Shelby, Ontario, and many other Richland County schools announced plans to stay closed as early as Monday afternoon.
Theaker said most roads in Mansfield have been plowed, but there are numerous some side streets that haven’t been touched.
“This was a major snow event for Mansfield, and it will take some time to get the streets plowed. We have to get the main roads first,” Theaker said.
He added that three of the city’s snow plows broke down during the weekend and were temporarily out-of-service for repairs.
“Still, we were anywhere between 12 and 14 trucks at any time,” the mayor said.
He said the city will be cautious about adding salt to the roads at this time. Salt doesn’t work well under 18 degree temperatures, and the city wants to avoid creating ice.
“If you put it out during the day, and it melts while the sun is out, it could freeze again at night,” Theaker explained. “If you have snow packed, it’s still some better traction.”
He thanked the city crews for their continued efforts.
