County finds clear path through snow

As snow continued falling Jan. 5, blowing and drifting on county roads, Wayne County’s commissioners declared a Level II travel watch.

It was the first Level II declaration since Dec. 23, 2022, when neither Brad Dwenger nor Aaron Roberts yet occupied his commissioner seat. With that in mind, commissioners met Jan. 8 with Matthew Cain, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency and Emergency Communications Center, and Mike Sharp, supervisor of the Highway Department, to discuss the Jan. 5 and 6 snow event.

All agreed that communication was fine and the collaboration to determine hazard levels worked well. The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, received accumulation reports of 6.8 inches in Richmond and 9.5 inches in Centerville.

“I thought the communication worked great,” said Dwenger, who is a reserve sheriff’s officer and the commissioners’ point person for communicating with Cain, Sharp and Sheriff Randy Retter. “I thought it went smoothly.”

Cain, Sharp and Retter consult about road conditions during snowstorms. Cain said he watches the types and numbers of calls 911 dispatchers receive while Sharp and Retter provide feedback from crews or officers on the roads. During the 36 hours from noon Jan. 5 through midnight Jan. 7, there were 24 vehicle slide-offs, 21 property damage accidents, 16 disabled vehicles, six personal assist requests, five traffic hazards and two personal injury accidents reported to 911.

Any travel advisories, watches or warnings are for roads maintained by Wayne County — not state roads or Interstate 70, which are the responsibility of the Indiana Department of Transportation — plus Richmond and Centerville roads. Each of those communities has an interlocal agreement with the county to implement whatever level the county declares.

A county ordinance adopted in 2003 allows the EMA director, highway superintendent or sheriff to issue a Level I travel advisory — which had occurred once each in 2023 and 2024, and began at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 — without a declaration from commissioners. That simply informs drivers that hazardous situations may be present on county roadways.

A commissioners’ declaration that’s filed with the state is necessary to elevate the travel advisory to a Level II travel watch. That limits residents to driving on county roads for essential uses: to and from school or work; to obtain medical care or prescription medications; and to obtain food, fuel or safe shelter.

The Level II declaration took effect at 10:15 p.m. Jan. 5 and was extended Jan. 6 before ending at noon Jan. 7. During their Jan. 8 meeting, commissioners signed the declarations for each of those steps.

Cain said there was some criticism that the county did not implement a Level III travel warning that closes roadways to all traffic except emergency personnel and critical occupations personnel, which includes railroad companies, utility companies, highway departments, towing and wrecker services, fuel delivery, and hospital or healthcare workers.

The Jan. 5-6 storm was nowhere near a “crippling emergency event” the ordinance defines for a travel warning, Cain said. Sharp said he doesn’t think about a Level III declaration until the highway department’s trucks get stuck and have trouble navigating the roadways.

Any advisory, watch or warning covers the entire county; it can’t be broken into sections even when conditions are significantly better in one part of the county than another. With its interlocal, Richmond follows the county declaration even if its roads are clearer than county roads impacted by blowing and drifting.

Sharp said he initially had just two snowplows working Jan. 5, then 21 plows working Jan. 6, two again that night and 21 again Jan. 7. The initial effort is to handle emergencies and assist emergency vehicles responding to calls, then he tries to maximize the clearing his crews can provide. Sharp tries to limit shifts to 12 hours while focusing on clearing roads for going to and coming from school and work.

All in all, the group was pleased with the county response to the largest snow in a couple of years.

“You all did a good job,” said Commissioner Jeff Plasterer.