Just so you know.
Why in G-d’s name did it take the University until 8:47 a.m. this morning to cancel classes? I happened to be out, and boy did I feel sorry for all those unsuspecting kids waiting for the MTD.
There’s a reason they call it a blizzard, folks.
9 responses so far ↓
Mrs. Chicken // February 13, 2007 at 10:59 am
Yeah, poor Mr. Chicken got all showered and dressed just to go outside and see we are snowed in by two feet of the white stuff in our alley (thank you, Urbana PWD). He came back in, changed into shoveling clothes, shoveled and then checked his email.
Yup. Classes cancelled.
Gah!
Elbee // February 13, 2007 at 12:36 pm
But Herman is making staff who did not attempt to get to the office take PTO for today, while those who did clog the roads (and, no doubt, the ditches) and were then sent home before noon get a true snow day. WTF?
Marty McKee // February 14, 2007 at 10:54 am
I just read a NG story about the poor ol’ snowplow drivers. Well, I live on Springfield Ave., and I can tell you for a fact that not a single snowplow came down one of Champaign’s busiest streets all day or night (at least not before I went to bed around midnight).
Mrs. Chicken // February 14, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I’m applying for a job at the Urbana PWD. The first rule I will instute:
NEVER STOP PLOWING IN A SNOWSTORM.
In my hometown I’d be walking my butt to elementary school in 12 inches of snow. Not calling the PWD four times in as many hours to tell them they need to plow effing street. I mean for G-d’s sake, it was 12 INCHES not 12 FEET.
We saw one - ONE - plow in 24 hours.
Put your big-girl panties on, Chambana. It is snow, not nuclear waste.
Andrew // February 15, 2007 at 6:11 am
Mrs. Chicken, and everyone else that thinks this way. Would you rather have our tax money being spent to fuel trucks that are running around doing no good because they can’t keep up with the blowing snow for people that shouldn’t be on the roads anyways, or would you have the city actually save some money and wait until it’s actually viable to start plowing. The county (and I think the city) stopped plowing until they could actually do some good.
Mrs. Chicken // February 15, 2007 at 9:57 am
Andrew, the point is that if you stop plowing you have a harder job ahead of you. And you have more people stranded the next day, so more businesses are closed (losing pay/profits) and schools are unable to open. This storm was bad, but not bad enough so that two days later the roads are still this bad.
My taxes are higher here in Urbana than they were in NY state (which is amazing) and so far the only services I know of that are included in that huge bill are police and fire. Great, yeah, we need those. But what else am I getting?
So yes. Spend the money on the fuel. I’m paying for it anyways.
leeanthro // February 15, 2007 at 10:13 am
Yeah, my husband and I both work for the U of I. Don’t you think that if they close for something totally beyond our control that they shouldn’t make us take vacation leave? It’s bull. I mean come on, the last time they closed was in 1979, I think they can handle people being off with pay for a couple of days. My husband was irked because had he shown up for work and got sent home, he would have gotten paid for the whole day. But my voice of reason told him to stay home with his pregnant wife and 2 year old. Oh well.
And, just to show how brilliant people in this town are. One car got stuck right in front of our drive. Then two. Then next time I looked there were 5 (YES, FIVE!) cars and trucks stuck right in front of our drive blocking us in. You would think that someone would choose an alternate route if they saw several cars already stuck and blocking the road.
That was my snow day rant.
Lisa B. // February 15, 2007 at 10:22 am
Check out the News-Gazette web site for coverage of the UI employee snow-day pay issue. I predict a change of policy on the part of the administration.
lbotp // February 15, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Amazingly enough, they plowed my street the day after Blizzard 07. It took them three days to plow it after last week’s relatively piddly storm. Whatever.
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