Winter preparedness from local Bowling Green organizations

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – While we may be seeing fall temperatures and events outside, the winter season is right around the corner, and local organizations are already preparing to face the harsh conditions.

The Bowling Green Public Works department is loading up on salt for the roads.

“The first thing we did last week on the 11th of October, we did a dry run or a rehearsal of concept… a rock drill where we got all of our plows out… the city owns ten large plows and spreaders and five smaller ones. With those we cover the entire city… that’s over 40 square miles of road that we maintain. So what we do is we watch the weather. and if it looks like it’s going to be bad, we prep our teams,” director Andy Souza says.

Meanwhile, BGMU is preparing to provide the best service possible to their customers during the colder months.

“Here at BGMU, we do a lot of maintenance year round, but especially this time of year. Fall is a great time for us to check our substations and replace broken poles that are out in the system. We do a lot of maintenance work while the weather is milder. That way, we’re prepared for what’s to come in the winter,” marketing coordinator Shelley Lowe says.

Lots of people are concerned after last year’s rolling blackouts, but BGMU hopes there won’t be any this year.

“BGMU purchases our power from the TVA, and hopefully TVA has done a lot on their system to make sure that they can handle whatever is thrown at us this winter and in years to come,” Lowe says.

One major tip while driving on the roads in the winter is to make sure to slow down for the plows.

“What’s neat about public works is that we are the caretakers of the city. We maintain the city, we work for the citizens and this is our city just like it is yours… We like to maintain it and make sure that it’s safe for everyone. A big ask for us is when you see the plows out, they’re marked, they have lights on them… just give them a wide path… please don’t speed, stay off your phone, that’ll help us maintain the city roads a little bit better,” Souza says.

He also reminds you that if you don’t need to be out on the roads during a snowstorm, please don’t travel. That way, crews can clear the roads faster.