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The Official Blizzard of 2016 Thread

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by Excelsior, Jan 22, 2016.

  1. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    We have 4 seats up for election this May. I'll look forward to you running.
     
  2. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Are you referring to me? Because you better do some better fact checking of your little birdies. I don't live on autumnwood nor do work on the board. Nor did I say anything about who goes first... Beyond people need to have some common sense about the scale of what was in front of us and the contractor.
     
  3. mikebnllnb

    mikebnllnb Active Member

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    I have no complaints about anyone or anything. I just thought I'd put that out there.
     
    PP-Power likes this.
  4. mikebnllnb

    mikebnllnb Active Member

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    Just an FYI. Board members volunteer their time and efforts for the betterment of our community. They pay the same dues and receive no more benefits from the HOA than any other resident.

    BTW I'm not a Board member nor do I know any personally. Putting out unsubstantiated BS like this is just a shitty thing to do.
     
    cjfj, Excelsior, PP-Power and 3 others like this.
  5. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    I am appreciative I have a neighbor who takes the sidewalk clearing as seriously as I do. I did my own, and my neighbors sidewalk today in addition to clearing the nearest fire hydrant. On the northern end of our HOA street, neighbors banded together to help each other out. There is still plenty of sidewalk left to do.
    I will challenge you once again on the performance of our HOA plow contractor. We had a one week warning and the forecasts were reasonably accurate as to the expected amount of snow versus what we received. With as much experience as they have with our community, there would hopefully be some realized efficiencies. Sorry for being so critical, and this is no attack against you, personally.
     
  6. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    Nope, not expecting CADILLAC service, merely what was communicated in the note we received before the storm hit. We all knew of the threat of over 30 inches, and with that taken into consideration, we were told the priority is to keep one open lane for emergency services, etc. We never got that. As far as I am concerned, our plow contractor got something wrong. The dispatch number of our plow contractor was met with an unfriendly reply of "this user does not have a voice mailbox that is set up" On the other hand, a big thank you goes out to Sarah Gerstein who is very helpful in keeping us informed.
     
    chris67 likes this.
  7. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Sunstoner, short of the contractor buying the type of equipment used in the northeast (Buffalo?), what would you have had them do?
     
  8. SarasMom

    SarasMom Member

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    Like I said above that you've chosen to ignore, I live on Autumnwood and NO, we did not get any preferential treatment in regards to plowing. We were plowed TODAY. Oh and guess what?! We have local and federal law enforcement on our street that also had to wait their turns! Not one of us is more special/important than the rest. We're ALL snowed in and we're ALL dealing with it. Tell your reliable source that.
     
  9. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    How about taking into consideration that Ashburn is in the snow belt of Northern Virginia, and coming to the community with a price quote accordingly? Take this into consideration, the recorded history of Broadlands is very short, and to say we see this snow once a decade is not fair. We saw this in 2010, less than six years ago. Most of Ashburn has not been in existence for more than 10 years. But, what special equipment is required to make a pass at a street to keep one lane open as was coummunicated?
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2016
  10. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    Agree- HOA is a tough job, and attacks against board members who do Community service like clear sidewalks for others than themselves and allegations their streets receive priority are simple ignorance.
     
  11. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Uhhh... This was not hoth before. Many residents on this very forum that have lived here much longer than 10 years (did you not see the 20th anniversary banner at the top of the page).... And many even grew up in this area long before Broadlands was a thing... The idea of snow totals and records did not start in the 2000s. 2010 was also extreme... Hence the snowmaggeden title... Not " oh just another ashburn winter"

    The advance notice and accurate forecast is great for residents.... But you act like they were going to buy new equipment and hire all kinds of new staff and trucks mid season. That's not how this works... That's not how any of this works.

    If you want 34" of snow cleared in less than 24hrs... You are going to be paying for way more capacity 95% of the time that you'll never use.

    You sound like the guy that is upset you couldn't get a generator trunk onsite on demand AFTER the hurricane hits. This isn't flexible on demand stuff you just hit up like Amazon prime.

    Sarah outlined the priorities in the snow policy... That was the goal. We also heard the issues that arose that impeded that execution. All told, given the event I think we are incredibly well off. Most things accessible in less than 36hrs... That's fantastic.

    Ask my buddy in leesburg who has not seen one plow yet... How he feels about our contractor

    Edit: here is his update 20mins ago "Town of Leesburg says we will be plowed by Wed night. Other parts of Leesburg don't get plowed until late Friday. Crazy."
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
    Mom23 and T8erman like this.
  12. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Sunstoner, it is not cost effective for a plow company or an even a HOA to plan for the worst every year. Using Dulles airport, the average snowfall is 20 inches a year and generally spread out, so the basic truck with blade attached is almost always going to get the job done. VDOT does not even have the proper equipment for this type of storm.
    But... if we get storms similar to this more frequently, I am all for spending my fair share in assessments/taxes. But let's at least establish a trend first and not once every 5-15 years.
     
    flynnibus likes this.
  13. mikebnllnb

    mikebnllnb Active Member

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    Heavy duty construction equipment is needed like large backhoes and front-end loaders. Pick-up trucks with mounted plow blades cannot push the weight of 36 inches of snow. The heavy duty equipment is in short supply at this point. Hell VDOT is having trouble keeping up.
     
  14. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    Was the plan to show up when all was said and done and push three feet of snow? I sure hope not, but if it was, it explains what happened.
     
  15. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    We should not base on Dulles. Ashburn is slightly higher elevation, closer to the Blue Ridge Mountains and gets more snow.
     
  16. mikebnllnb

    mikebnllnb Active Member

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    The area does not have that kind of equipment readily available. Not in the quantity needed and that is also road ready anyway. Are you as a homeowner willing to pay the extra money every year to have the kind of equipment on hand that is needed for this kind of storm?

    BTW Dulles and Ashburn have the same annual snowfall average.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
  17. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Obviously the contractor was negligent in calling the front-loader fairy on Monday. Clearly he was inept. I mean, everyone else called in the equipment right???
     
  18. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    Ashburn got 7 inches more than Dulles this time. You must be misunderstanding the expectation that a plow come through every few hours to keep up with the snowfall to provide one passable lane, in the event of an emergency. One measly little lane. No I don't expect the back haul nor the front loaders 36 hours after the storm. I also expect that if I am told there is a dispatch number, there is a way to leave a message. That didn't happen either. So, to keep a lane open, what is that for a couple extra passes? Fuel that was not accounted for. I also read some of our HOA contractors equipment was diverted for other purposes. Hopefully we the homeowners do not foot the bill for this and get charged a special assessment for cleanup that did not happen here.

    You should ask the residents if they would pay more for more reliable plowing service. I'm but just one resident. But, consider that many in Ashburn, and Loudoun County in general have household income to support such a change. Not saying I'm a rich guy- far from it, but a few extra bucks for peace of mind? Maybe something to consider. Most meteorologists and scientists have predicted such cataclysmic events with the climate change so we might as well have the conversation.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
  19. Excelsior

    Excelsior Southern Walk||IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO||

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    Not even close to the expectation. Appreciate the use of sarcasm.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
  20. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    The vast majority of plowing services, particularly in communities such as Broadlands, are done by landscape contractors looking for work in the winter time. They have a limited amount of trucks and human bodies to do the work. Knowing a big storm is coming in a week does nothing to help this fact. VDOT has the same constraints on resources. And don't forget....these trucks are run by human beings...fragile things that need sleep, food, use the bathroom, etc. How many hours in a row can they work? See a post on the other thread from a resident in a townhouse section thanking our contractor for the work they did. They are trying to methodically work through the community to do each section as well as possible.
    Been talking to folks in other communities. Several streets (VDOT) in Ashburn have yet to be plowed even once yet!
     

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