By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
As two inches of snow blanketed Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Tuesday, schools, offices and businesses closed and local officials urged residents to stay off the roads.
The snow started late Monday night and continued until around lunchtime Tuesday, creating a playground for those with sleds but treacherous conditions for drivers on the roads.
Carrboro Police reported several traffic accidents on Tuesday, while Chapel Hill Police responded to 16 traffic accidents in which motorists lost control of their vehicles. Both Chapel Hill and Carrboro public works departments worked diligently around the clock to clear the roads and make them safe for driving.
By the time The Citizen went to press Wednesday night, most local services were scheduled to operate on a regular schedule on Thursday.
In Carrboro, Town of Carrboro offices closed early on Tuesday, reopening at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Police, fire and public works operated on a normal schedule.
Carrboro Public Works was unable to complete Monday and Tuesday’s trash collection as scheduled on Tuesday. According to the town, Monday and Tuesday’s trash collection was completed on Wednesday or will be completed on Thursday, and residents should leave trash out until collected.
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen canceled their meeting on Tuesday night. The items on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting will be rescheduled for future meetings.
In Chapel Hill, all Town of Chapel Hill services had returned to their normal schedules on Wednesday except for Parks and Recreation facilities, which were slightly delayed in opening.
Garbage collection was canceled on Tuesday and rescheduled for Thursday. Yard waste collection was canceled this week.
Chapel Hill Transit buses continued to operate on Tuesday at the highest level possible, according to the Town of Chapel Hill, and operated on a regular schedule on Wednesday.
Both Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with an optional teacher workday for faculty. As The Citizen went to press Wednesday night, the schools had not yet announced whether they would operate on a normal schedule on Thursday.
Both school systems had scheduled a teacher workday for Tuesday, so they did not need to schedule a make-up day for those classes. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced that Wednesday’s school day would be made up on Feb. 27, which was originally scheduled as a teacher workday.
UNC remained open on Tuesday and Wednesday, though some classes were canceled.