Oconee County Ready For Winter Weather, Public Works Director Reassured Commissioners Yesterday

Two Spreaders Ready

For those who ever have wondered how Oconee County prepares for the threat of winter weather, Public Works Director Emil Beshara yesterday afternoon had the answer.

With the threat of snow and icy roads in the forecast, Beshara told county commissioners that the county had its two salt and sand spreaders on the trucks “and ready to go.”

“All the chain saws and all the limb removal equipment has been sharpened, fueled,” Beshara said.

“We brought in a couple extra loads of sand,” he added.

“Now we are waiting to just actually see what comes of this front coming through,” he said.

Nothing much happened, of course.

But Beshara’s comments seemed to reassure the commissioners, all of whom are from Georgia, where snow and ice are not so common.

Request of Commission Chairman

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin Davis opened a scheduled work session on Friday afternoon, as predictions of icy weather and possible snowfall were being issued, by asking Beshara to brief the commissioners on what the county was doing to prepare for the weather.

Explain the “normal preparation, I guess, that’s normally made in weather conditions, and I know we don’t know what to expect,” Davis said in a serious voice.

Beshara answered with a detailed description of plans being implemented even as the meeting was taking place.

“We have taken steps to make sure we have the materials that we typically need to respond to an ice and snow event,” Beshara said.

“All the equipment is fueled up, lubed up, on trailers ready to go,” he added.

Beshara said that the county doesn’t “have a big mountain of salt that we can spread. Our salt comes in 80 pound bags sitting on pallets.”

But the county is ready, he said , and “We simply are in wait and see mode at this time.”

Northern Response

Beshara joked that foul weather has happened before, even in Oconee County.

And he noted that people a little further north have a lot of experience with icy roads and snow.

The video below strings together the essential clips of Beshara’s response to Davis and to questions from the commissioners.

Those who have lived up north may smile while watching the video.

Those who have little experience driving on snow and ice, however, probably will join the commissioners in being reassured by Beshara’s plans for dealing with the impact of winter weather on the county’s 400-plus miles of roadway.

The full video from which these clips were taken is here.