The goals of the Town of Tolland’s snow and ice control operations are to provide cost effective clearing and removal of ice and snow from town streets, to minimize the hazards of slippery road conditions encountered by motorists, to reduce economic losses caused by workers unable to get to jobs and to restore traveling conditions throughout the Town as soon as possible after each storm event.

 Winter Parking Bans

Parked vehicles are the biggest obstacles to effective snow removal.  Please support our efforts by parking your vehicle in conformance with the winter parking ban.

• Overnight parking is not allowed on public streets or municipal parking lots between the hours of midnight and 6:00 AM from November 1st to April 15th. 
• The Town Council, the Town Manager or the Town Manager’s designated representative may also declare a parking ban if a significant snow event is forecast or in progress.
• Residents are asked to remove vehicles from the street when a snowstorm is occurring. It makes plowing safer and more efficient if plow drivers do not have to operate around parked vehicles. 

For information on whether a parking ban has been declared (beyond the midnight to 6:00 AM ban), tune to WFSB (CBS), WTNH (ABC) or WVIT (NBC).

School Closings or Delayed Openings

Information regarding school closings and delays is reported to the following sources:

Television                                  Radio
WFSB (CBS)                    WILI-AM      WTIC-AM
WTNH (ABC)                    WILI-FM      WTIC-FM
WVIT (NBC)                     WRCH-AM

Mailboxes

Please check your mailbox and make sure it is in good repair, firmly attached to a solid post and properly placed so no part of it is over the pavement.Your mailbox will have to withstand countless tons of flying snow this winter and it may require periodic maintenance.If a mailbox or post is pushed over or damaged as a result of snow or slush coming off a snowplow, it is considered a winter hazard and the Town will not repair or replace the mailbox or post.The height of the bottom of the mailbox to the street should be between 42” and 48”.  The mailbox door should be 6 to 8 inches from the front face of the curb or road edge.

Sidewalk Clearing

Residents are reminded that by Town Ordinance it is the responsibility of owners and occupants of buildings and vacant lots to remove snow, sleet and ice from public sidewalks abutting their property within 24 hours after the storm has concluded.Failure to comply with this ordinance may result in a fine.

Please remember that the final snow plow pass is not made until after the storm has concluded.Your cooperation in clearing sidewalks is an essential safety measure for pedestrians using the sidewalks.

Fire Hydrants

Owners of property and occupants of buildings that have a fire hydrant are required by Town Ordinance to clear a four foot area in all directions around the hydrant and a three foot wide path from the street to the fire hydrant.Failure to comply with this ordinance may result in a fine.The Fire Department counts on hydrants being cleared of snow to help protect your safety.

Catch Basins & Storm Inlets

Help minimize street flooding by shoveling snow and ice from in front of the storm inlet nearest your house.This includes keeping catch basin grates free of leaves and other debris all year long!

Christmas Trees

Tolland does not offer curbside pick-up of Christmas trees.However the Town does have a drop-off site located at Crandall’s II, near the Lodge driveway.Trees can be dropped off from December 26th through January 26th.

Portable Basketball Hoops

Residents are reminded that portable basketball hoops should NOT be in the Town Right-of-Way.The Town is not responsible for damage done by plows to basketball hoops left in the Town Right-of-Way.

Alternative Energy Solutions

As traditional energy costs continue to rise, citizens are looking for alternative solutions to heat their homes for the upcoming winter.Many are turning to space heaters, fireplaces and wood or pellet burning stoves for warmth.Citizens should be aware that permits are required for wood or pellet burning stoves. While these heat sources can be effective alternatives, they could pose serious home safety dangers.Be sure to have a three foot clearance around a space heater.Also, these alternatives are only permitted for use in residential homes, not commercial buildings.

The Fire Department stresses the importance of having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the home and maintaining them.Replace batteries in detectors and assure they are operating. Detectors should be replaced every ten years. Detectors do save lives.Statistics dramatically validate this.

 Before using alternative heating sources, call the Town Fire Marshal at 871-3675.They will identify hazards and offer suggestions for safe use.

Anti-Icing

One of the relatively new weapons being used in the snow and ice control field involves the treatment of roads with anti-icing products in advance of snow storms.The Highway Department will be implementing some of these new measures this year.

Anti-icing refers to a collection of strategies and techniques used to prevent snow from bonding to the road surface.Salt and salt treated with liquid calcium chloride is applied to the road surface in advance of the storm.The salt lowers the freezing temperature of water and prevents ice from bonding to the road.De-icing, in contrast, refers to snow and ice removal after bonding has occurred.

Anti-icing creates a brine on the road surface that acts as a barrier between falling snow and the pavement.Snow may accumulate on the road surface, but because of the barrier, the snow won’t bond to it.

The key to anti-icing is the application of salt.Timing is everything; if the salt is applied to the road too soon, the resulting brine may freeze as the falling snow dilutes it.If it is applied too late after the storm begins, snow will have already bonded to the road surface.

Treated salt will form a brine faster than standard rock salt.It also bounces less than standard rock salt, so more material stays on the roadway and less in the gutter.Snowplow crews can more easily keep the road clear because they are working with the snow that has not bonded to the pavement.

Anti-icing has many advantages:

• Town crews can respond to storms proactively by beginning treatment in advance of the storm.
• Anti-icing enables a quicker return to improved road conditions resulting in fewer accidents and delays.
• Treated salt doesn’t bounce off the roadway so material is more effectively used.
• If the storm is delayed, some residual salt remains on the road ready to begin work when precipitation begins.
• Crews can efficiently cover more territory because a truckload of salt will last longer than a traditional truckload of sand/salt mix.

Reduction of Sand Use

In Connecticut, snow storms have traditionally been fought by applying a mixture of three parts sand to one part salt.

Salt melts snow and ice.  Sand does not.

Sand can increase friction, thereby providing better traction and control of vehicles.For sand to actually improve traction, however, it must remain between the tire and the ice.It does no good when it is buried in snow.Vehicle traffic will work sand into fresh snow and render it useless to improve traction.Research on friction on pavements treated with sand shows that there is little benefit when traffic is present.When is the most effective time to use sand?During very low temperatures (below 5ºF) where salt is ineffective or during freezing rain conditions.The Town will no longer use sand during the majority of its snow removal operations.The Town will continue to have sand available for use when conditions specifically warrant its use.

Benefits of Reducing Sand Use:

• Elimination of sand from entering our streams and waterways.
• Reduction in spring clean up time both for property owners and the Town.
• Reduction in air pollution from blowing sand particulates.
• Buildings and homes are cleaner because less sand and mud is tracked in from streets and municipal parking lots.
• Reduction in windshield damage and chipped paint.

What changes will the public see?

• There will be some storms where the Town snow plow drivers will be applying material to the road before or just as a storm is starting.
• The streets and edges of the road will not be brown with sand after a snow storm has ended.
• The use of salt on a per storm basis will not exceed what has been used in prior years.

Driveway Clearing Tips

The following suggestions are intended to make your driveway snow removal easier and safer:

• If possible, wait until the road has been completely plowed to the curb before shoveling the last 5-10 feet of your driveway.This way, less snow from the road will end up in your driveway.It takes 3-5 hours after a typical storm has ended for the Town to completely clear snow from the road to the curb.          

• It is best to place snow on the far side of your driveway, away from the direction the plow is traveling.This way the plow will carry the snow away from your driveway, rather than back into it.          

• Do NOT shovel, blow, or plow snow from your driveway into or across the road.It is a violation of Town Ordinances to push snow into the street and you may be held liable if this snow causes an accident.Remember, you are also responsible for the actions of your contractor!   

• Do NOT allow children to play on snow banks along the side of the road.The Town may need to push back snow banks days after a storm to create room for the next snow event.          

Winter Driving Checklist & Tips

• Keep good, all-season tires on your car.
• Keep a blanket in your trunk.
• Keep a shovel and some sand in your trunk.
• Clean your vehicle of all snow and ice, including the roof.
• Allow extra time to reach your destination.During storms, travel only when absolutely necessary.

Potholes

Potholes are formed when water seeps into cracks in the pavement surface and the continual freeze-thaw cycle in the early spring moves the surface of the pavement.This movement weakens the pavement.Traffic loosens the pavement even more and it eventually crumbles and pops out.The pounding of tires wears a hole in the underlying gravel and a pothole is formed.

The patching of potholes continues throughout the winter.During cold weather, temporary repairs are made with cold patch asphalt because the weather is too cold to use hot asphalt.During warmer temperatures, hot asphalt is used for more permanent repairs.

Unfortunately, during periods where the weather fluctuates from freezing to warm temperatures, the formation of potholes is unavoidable.Spring temperatures warm the cold pavement, melting and evaporating any frozen water.This creates air pockets that can eventually cause the pavement to break up.A winter of heavy snow or rain and several freeze-thaw cycles can mean a big pothole season ahead.

If you see a pothole that needs repair, please call the Highway Department at 871-3690.You can expedite our response by providing the exact location and approximate size (length, width and depth.)

Potholes on most heavily traveled roads are usually repaired within 48 hours of notification.The Town crews are constantly on the lookout for potholes, but we welcome citizen calls about potholes as well.The sooner the pothole is reported, the more quickly Public Works can remove that road hazard.

Numbers to Call Regarding Snow Questions

• Public Works Department…………………871-3690

During the following Hours of Operation:

Monday thru Wednesday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Thursday, 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM
Fridays, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

• After Hours………………………………………871-3690

Please leave message; messages are reviewed frequently.

Other Useful Phone Numbers

•  Tolland Fire Marshal.…………………………871-3675
• Tolland Building Department………………871-3601
• Emergency………………………………………..911

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