Contacting the board - Storm GAIL

All,

This update is to remind everyone how and where the Board will respond to recommendations, issues, questions, etc.. Specifically there have been a number of Facebook posts, personal phone calls to board members, etc., regarding the road cleanup during this very large winter storm. Anything a member wishes to have conveyed to our new vendor, as we have stated in the past, should be sent to the email address for the board (pmle567.hoa@gmail.com), via messages left on the voicemail box for the HoA (570-630-0776), or by messages left through the contact form (https://www.pmle567.com/member-form.html).  These will be monitored during storms. A board member is in contact with the vendor while they are in the community staying up to date on progress. The above are the only methods we will respond to.

Regarding yesterday’s (into today’s) storm, the new vendor was here over 14 hours continuously, starting around 3:00 PM  until after dawn when they needed to get a few hours of sleep and gasoline, after which they returned. This was verified by a member of the board who was in contact with them until 4:00 AM. In addition, the vendor will be back tomorrow (Friday) for further cleanup, road widening, salting icy spots, etc…

We feel it important to convey several additional aspects. The vendor is very proactive and responsive and anxious to please. If you have suggestions, or if there are issues, he does want to be made aware. As was stated in a prior update, a feature we found beneficial is that their equipment is tied into GPS devices. This allows them to track every road they have been to, the times and frequency of being there, even down to the amount of salt being placed at any given location. However, if a road is missed, please let us know so it can be passed on. Additionally, we selected them because of the equipment they bring to the table. This includes a tri-axle equipped with one of the larger plow blades available. Given the fact that the storm ran continuously through the afternoon, night and into today, there are very few vendors we looked at that could have, in less than 24 hours, made all the roads passable, even down to bare blacktop in locations, hills salted, etc… It is important that we have realistic expectations, especially in light of the fact that PennDOT didn’t begin plowing many of our secondary roads until this morning. 

It also needs to be stated, on a follow on drive through by the board, many of the cleaned roads had become covered with driveway snow removal either from vendors who came in to clean driveways or residents with snow blowers and/or quads with blades. If you have a driveway vendor, we ask that they do not leave excess cleanup on the roads. Likewise, if it is something you do personally, please keep the roads clear.

We sought out the best vendor for the community after a very exhaustive search. Let’s work together to improve things where we need to, help where we can, and keep everyone safe. Thank you.