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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2017 8:21:02 GMT -7
High South Snow Report Jan,12, 2017 8 AM 4 inches of fresh powder snow fell in High South overnight. This sits on top of another 4 inches that has accumulated since the weekend. When I last went to the Post Office on Tuesday afternoon Hercules was barely plowed from SpecTec to Dry Creek Road. Upper Hercules was not plowed and neither was Sagittarius Skyway nor Sagittarius Place. It was difficult to see where the road edges were because of the fresh snow. Nothing was sanded and the roads were very slippery.
Upper Hercules was down to one lane at one point. The other lane was solidly blocked by two feet of drifting snow. Lower Hercules was also getting narrower. The curve just past Neil Kremer's cabin was closing in and was just one lane wide. Again, 2 foot drifts were encroaching.  Two foot drifts narrow upper Hercules to one lane.I informed Regina Wunsch on Tuesday who assured me that Fred would be dispatched on Wednesday. I have not been to the Post Office since Tuesday so I cannot confirm if Fred actually made it up here. It is my opinion that the GLA snow removal and maintenance of High South has reached a new low. The roads are not being properly attended to and snow is being allowed to build into large drifts which are gradually overtaking sections of road. We are just one good storm away from severe road blockages that will require heavy equipment at great expense to open the roads. On Tuesday I noticed how well plowed Dry Creek road was. The dirt portion was cleanly scrapped of snow. The dirt and gravel surface of the road showed in many places. As I ventured on to the paved section that too was clean and wide. A little further down the road I saw two massive Park County graders with front and side plows moving snow off the road and pushing drifts 5 feet back from the road. I wished that they would plow Hercules and quickly understood why almost all Home Owner Associations in Montana have chosen to partner with counties for road maintenance. To all those who think that the GLA can do a better job of maintaining roads than Park County I urge you to take a drive on Dry Creek and then try to ascend Hercules and Sagittarius Skyway.[/div][/font] |
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2017 9:29:56 GMT -7
Myron Moorman reports that
"Fred plowed yesterday about 3:30/4, he did a great job looked nice. I plowed Upper Hercules from Sag Place to Spectech, at least wide enough for one car this AM".
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2017 20:19:30 GMT -7
High South Road Update for January 12, 2017 8 PM When I left for the Post Office at 3 PM this afternoon the temperature was 30 degrees. Warmer air was pushing in from the south and an inversion was forming over Paradise Valley. Wood smoke could clearly be seen as it accumulated under the warm layer of air which was at about 5,000 feet.
Sagittarius Skyway was not plowed. I followed a single set of tire tracks down to upper Hercules. It appeared that someone tried to ascend Sagittarius Skyway earlier in the day but slid so badly that they gave up just past the dome house.
Upper Hercules was plowed and the road was slightly widened at the point where it was half drifted in. Those drifts were cut back about a foot but now stand at 3-4 feet tall.
Past SpecTec the road was well plowed and two lanes wide. Dry Creek road was covered with packed snow but tremendously widened by Park County work crews on Tuesday. The snow drifts are about even with the top of the snow fence on Dry Creek road. This will spell trouble when the winds pick up and/or we get more snow. The tall drifts will literally march towards and across Dry Creek on the next windy day.
Route 89 was clear with minor snow packing on the edges and in the median. The temperature in Emigrant was 11 degrees above zero; 19 degrees colder than at my place in High South.
When I came back to Glastonbury I saw Fred driving his big orange truck down Dry Creek Road. It looked like he just finished plowing Virgo and was heading home. Hercules was fine all the way to SpecTec which is normal on my trip back up the mountain. Fred usually plows around 2:30 in the afternoon so SpecTec employees who get off work around 3:30, have an easy trip down the mountain.
Upper Hercules looked good. Once I turned on to Sagittarius Skyway the going got rough. The road was still not plowed and I had to churn through 8 to 12 inches of snow while negotiating sharp corners and ascending almost 600 feet in less than a mile. As mentioned before there are no guard rails on Sagittarius Skyway, the road is only 1 1/2 lanes wide, has a 300 foot drop off and the road is improperly graded so it slopes towards the cliff side.
It appears that someone on the Road Committee is ordering that Sagittarius Skyway NOT be plowed. I have heard from several landowners that at least one Road Committee member has stated that "Sagittarius Skyway is too dangerous to plow". Last week it took almost a week for that road to be plowed. Today it was once again neglected.
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Post by concerned on Jan 12, 2017 21:50:44 GMT -7
Hello Tim,
I just read your report. There seems to be a little misinformation in your report so let me clarify for you.
Fred Counts truck is a 2wd with a straight plow and cannot bust through drifts. That is why he has not plowed upper Sagittarius. It is not because a Road Committee member is telling him not too. I personally spoke with Fred this morning and he told me there is nothing he can do.
Did you know the kind of serious weather conditions you would be facing and the GLA policy before you moved up to High South Glastonbury? Did you read the Road Policy or the Covenants before you bought your property? I have a feeling you did.
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