City Manager Approves Complimentary Garage Parking for Residents, Opening Sunday at 6 a.m.; No Parking on Emergency Snow Routes
ANNAPOLIS, MD - City of Annapolis officials are preparing for winter weather conditions over the next 36 hours, including snow and the possibility of sleet and freezing rain, beginning in the early morning hours on Monday. The National Weather Service is now predicting up to 12 inches of snow for the Annapolis area. The Annapolis Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Public Works (DPW) are asking the public to prepare for the storm by removing vehicles from Emergency Snow Routes by 11 p.m. on Sunday. Parking at City Garages (Park Place, Knighton, Gotts and Hillman) will be complimentary starting at 6 a.m. on Sunday, as approved by Annapolis Acting City Manager Victoria Buckland.
“I want to thank our emergency management and public works teams for their work in preparing our City for this storm,” Buckland said. “If the public can do their part by staying off the roads, our plow drivers will be able to work more efficiently to keep up with the snowfall and ensure emergency vehicles can get to peoples’ homes and businesses.”
The National Weather Service has placed the Mid-Atlantic region under a Winter Weather Watch, advising heavy snow with the possibility of sleet and freezing rain. The NWS forecast has increased the snowfall forecast to 8 to 12 inches for the Annapolis area. With temperatures remaining below freezing throughout the weekend, the snowfall will stick.
PLOW OPERATIONS: Starting a little before midnight on Sunday (into Monday), City of Annapolis plow crews will work in 12 hour shifts to first pre-treat roadways and then to plow and treat after the snow begins to fall. Drivers will work in 12-hour streets until all City roads are passable. If possible, consider avoiding travel on Monday to allow plow crews time to treat Snow Emergency and connector roads.
FREE PARKING/REMOVE VEHICLES FROM EMERGENCY SNOW ROUTES: Vehicles must be removed from Emergency Snow Routes by 11 p.m. on Sunday. Failure to remove your vehicle from an Emergency Snow Route may result in the vehicle being towed and impounded. Starting at 6 a.m. on Sunday, residents will be given complimentary parking at the four City garages: Park Place (1 Park Place), Knighton (1A Colonial Place), Gotts (45 Northwest Street) and Hillman (150 Gorman Street). The City will announce the reopening of roads and the conclusion of the free parking period at the end of the storm, giving residents at least six hours to retrieve their vehicle or be charged.
ANNAPOLIS TRANSIT: At this time, transit routes are expected to operate on a regular schedule. The State Shuttle that services the Maryland General Assembly will run (Monday) until 10 p.m. Updates to the schedule will be posted on the City of Annapolis website: www.Annapolis.gov.
RECREATION AND PARKS: Patrons to the Roger “Pip” Moyer Recreation Center and the Stanton Center are asked to check the Recreation and Parks Facebook page for schedule changes and snow-related closures.
WARMING CENTER: The Stanton Center, at 92 West Washington Street in Annapolis, will be open as a temporary emergency warming center from Friday, January 3 through Thursday, January 9 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m each night. Please note all referrals must check-in to the Stanton Center nightly by 9 p.m. If there is a need for general or long-term sheltering assistance, please contact the Crisis Response System Warmline at 410-768-5522.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) and ANNAPOLIS CALL CENTER: The Annapolis EOC is currently activated to a Partial level to to coordinate the City’s preparedness activities and support any response and recovery efforts for this weather event. The Annapolis Call Center will be operational beginning at 5 a.m. on Monday for non-emergency questions related to the winter storm and City Services. Annapolis residents can call 410-260-2211. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.
SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES: For more information on Annapolis’ general policies for snow, plowing, and declarations of snow emergencies, visit the Snow Information page on the City’s website. If a Phase III Snow Emergency (greater than 8 inches) is called, the Annapolis Emergency Routes will be made passable within 102 hours of the end of the snowfall; connector routes will be made passable within 126 hours of the end of snowfall; and all other routes will be made passable within 150 hours of the end of the snow fall. The City Manager is responsible for making Snow Emergency declarations.
SNOWPATHS: The City of Annapolis recently announced SnowPaths, an initiative to provide residents, business owners, and visitors with real-time GPS tracking of winter road maintenance during snow and ice events. SnowPaths features an interactive map that displays real-time information on when roads were last serviced. Users can also view priority levels for roads throughout the city. Priority roads include emergency and connector routes that are serviced more frequently to allow for essential travel and safer access to critical services. Snowpaths is maintained by the Department of Public Works (DPW) and is accessible online at www.annapolis.gov/snowpaths.
GOVERNMENT OPERATING STATUS: The Annapolis City Manager will make a determination on employee attendance for work early Monday morning. Announcements will be posted to the home page of the City of Annapolis website at www.Annapolis.gov.
BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: Check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbors; shovel your sidewalk; and clear snow away from fire hydrants including a path from the hydrant to the street so that firefighters can easily access it if needed.
STAY INFORMED:
Alert Annapolis – This system allows the City to send out automated telephone messages, text messages, or emails quickly and efficiently in the event of an emergency. The brief message will provide information on the emergency and any important instructions. To sign up for Alert Annapolis, please go to the following site https://alertannapolis.civicready.com/ or text “ANNAPOLIS” to 38276.
Prepare Me Annapolis Mobile App – This free app from OEM provides real-time alerts and information for Annapolitans to be prepared in any type of emergency. Prepare Me Annapolis is available, free of charge, on both the Apple Store and Google Play.
Visit the City on social media at: www.Facebook.com/CityofAnnapolis and www.instagram.com/cityofannapolismd.
