Despite getting more than 19 inches of snowfall over the weekend, Highland Park and Deerfield experienced few problems, officials said, other than police having to help some drivers who slid off the road.
Schools were closed Monday in Highland Park, Deerfield and Highwood because of Sunday’s snowstorm, officials said. But main roads and Metra parking lots were mostly cleared of snow by Monday morning, thanks to an all-night effort by the public works employees. And there were no serious accidents in either town.
“These guys have been working around the clock,” Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch said Monday morning.
Neukirch cautioned that kids should avoid playing in snow banks near the streets that have been created by plowing.
“They’re very appealing but they’re also very dangerous,” Neukirch said.
There were no widespread power outages in Highland Park or Deerfield, officials said.
Likewise in Deerfield, the roads have been mostly cleared, said Andrew Lichterman, assistant to the village manager in Deerfield.
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Deerfield Police Commander Brian Budny said police responded to 31 calls for motorists needing assistance, but there no accidents with significant injuries.
Budny also credited the public works crews.
“All in all, we made it out pretty well,” Budny said.
The public schools covering Highland Park, Deerfield and Highwood – Township High School District 113, North Shore School District 112 and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 – were all closed Monday.
The Park District of Highland Park facilities opened later than usual Monday because of the snow storm, said Liza McElroy, executive director.
“We knew it was going to be bad with the wind coming off the lake,” McElroy said. “We figured it was better safe than sorry.”
On Monday morning, the plan was for the Highwood Public Library to open at noon as normally scheduled. But first, there was some serious shoveling to do.
“I called my boss last night partly because I was hoping for a day off,” said Jill Koepke, public service desk assistant, grinning.
When Koepke showed up about 9:45 a.m., almost two feet of snow covered the walkway to the library doors.
Because of school closings, Koepke said the library may have some kids come in to play computer games. But she doubted many patrons would show.
“I think it’s going to be a ghost town,” Koepke said.
On Monday late morning, Nick Drivas pour salt on the icy sidewalk in front of his restaurant, Backyard Grill, in downtown Highland Park. Mounds of snow covered the street parking spots in front of the Backyard Grill. Drivas said he called the city asked that it be removed.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Drivas said, the restaurant did about one quarter of the business it would usually do on a because of the snowstorm.
“Chicago weather, you know,” Drivas said with a shrug.
As of late Monday, he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“It’s still early. … With school being out in Highland Park, maybe people will come out once they’re done staying inside,” Drivas said.
Snow removal requires a more delicate touch at the Chicago Botanic Garden, which remains open year-round for people who enjoying walking the grounds at the 385-acre park.
Cindy Baker, manager of horticulture services, received the call at 4:30 a.m. Sunday to prepare for the blizzard and bring in as many staff members as possible.
“We use a combination of riding lawn mowers converted into snow removing equipment,” Baker said. “A lot of our staff come in with regular walking snow-blowers.”
The workers open the critical areas first, where people arrive from cars and buildings. But “yesterday was pretty rough,” she said. “It was really hard to keep up.”
The park closed at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and reopened Monday at 10 a.m.
“We don’t salt the roads so we don’t get that black snow,” Baker said. “It’s stunning. It’s just a beautiful to walk around.”
In the parking lots, workers push the snow into lesser-used lots, then spread out the drifts over time so that they melt more quickly, she said.
Within the park, the workers carefully blow paths of snow to each side, and gently brush off newly fallen snow that has collected on evergreen limbs. Once the snow has frozen on the limbs, “you don’t want to touch the plant,” Baker said. “They actually do more damage trying to get snow off the plant.”
After completely removing snow from walking paths, workers lay down a combination of an ice melting product and angular sand, meaning the edges are rough and provide a more gritty texture.
“We make sure it is something that has very, very low levels of sodium chloride,” Baker said. “We don’t like salt on our plants. It causes a lot of damage.”
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