TREE WORK (AND SNOW...AGAIN)

(FRIDAY A.M. - ACA roads are icy from last night's sleet and freezing rain. Please use caution if you must travel our early.  Conditions should improve in a matter of hours. Staymon is very icy, and Apple Creek Road is, as well.)

As some of you know and e crews are working very hard clearing out a tremendous amount of timber and branches away from the power lines. They've been contracted by Duke Energy to do so and have full rights to do what they need to do wherever and whenever it is best to do so. I have talked with a couple of the crew members at length and they are very nice professionals. They're doing a great job.

While there is no set time in particular, they're roughly coming up about 7:30 in the morning and leaving later than 5 PM. They want to be as courteous as possible for those needing to pass by on Apple Creek Road, but it is easier said than done when they have to move multiple large trucks with lift bucket equipment, the chipper machine and truck, and supervisor pickups and move them up into driveways or off into side roads. It's very time-consuming for them to do that. The more they have to stop to let traffic by and then reset their equipment, the longer they are going to be on our Mountain doing this type of work.

 ***The board has asked me to pass along to anyone traveling the upper parts of Apple Creek to please try to consolidate trips so that you aren't going up and down multiple times a day. The less time that we interrupt them, the quicker they will get their work done and be on their way to the next job location. The ultimate bottom line is that their work will help not only ensure that our power outage chances are greatly reduced, but it will also let more precious winter sunlight onto our roads as well. That's to our benefit in a big way. 

Thanks in advance for everyone's continued patience. For inquiring minds who wish to know, no, I have no idea how many more days they will need to finish their job here in Apple Creek. But the more we allow them to do the work, the sooner that end will be.

NOTE: I'm pretty sure we are in for our biggest snow of this season moving in Saturday evening into early Sunday morning.  I know, right? The NAM is hot and heavy at 6-10", GFS is solid in 5-8", and the EURO is 4-6". I'll probably try and pull together a longer discussion late tonight, and then update it Saturday with a follow-up post.  I'll be on the road then, returning to our mountain just short of midnight (crossing fingers). Prepare now.  Oh, and that Polar Vortex threat won't make it here, at least the coldest part.  We're cold, but no single digits ahead. 

Bob