CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Montgomery County and Clarksville City government offices will remain closed on Friday as the community deals with the effects of a winter storm, including hazardous travel conditions and icy side streets and parking lots.
Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett and Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts made the decision to keep offices closed after meeting Thursday with emergency management, highway department, street department and public safety officials.
Although County, City and State road crews worked into the evening and were out early in the morning to clean up from the first and second rounds of winter storms, some primary roads remained slick in spots and secondary roads. neighborhood streets and parking lots were still covered in snow and ice. The mayors continue to urge residents to stay home and off the roadways.
“The work done by the County, City and State road crews has been outstanding, but we live in a county that is spread out over 544 square miles,” County Mayor Durrett said. “Our Highway Department alone maintains 750 miles of roadway. With two significant snow/ice events and extremely low temperatures, it’s a tremendous amount of work for anyone to handle.”
Clarksville Mayor Pitts said another day of caution would be prudent.
“With so much ice still on the roads and in parking lots, it is wise for us to take precautions and keep accidents to a minimum for our residents and our employees, including our public safety workers” Mayor Pitts said.
Clarksville Police Chief David Crockarell said streets are still treacherous in many areas of the City.
“We saw quite a jump in the number of accidents Wednesday night and this morning from this second wave of snow and ice mix,” Chief Crockarell said. “We appreciate the citizens and groups like the Clarksville Jeep Club getting out there to help people who are stuck or who have gone off the road.”
The National Weather Service canceled its winter storm warning and replaced it with a winter weather advisory through 6 p.m. Thursday. Area temperatures are expected to remain below freezing, so road conditions will likely remain slick with hazardous travel through the overnight hours. Warmer weekend weather is expected to help the efforts to remove snow from roadways and parking lots, and get the community ready to return to business next week. Forecast details are at https://bit.ly/3bkj2f8 .
Here are some details for specific governmental operations on Friday:
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has closed its COVID-19 vaccination sites in northern, middle, and western Tennessee counties, including Montgomery County, on Friday, Feb. 19. TDH will contact anyone who had an appointment to reschedule their COVID-19 vaccination.
CDE Lightband’s lobby will remain open until 3 p.m. Friday, but customers are urged to use phone and online systems to reach the utility when possible. In the event of a service outage, customers should call (931) 648-8151. Customers can go online at https://cdelightband.com/customer-service/ for service and bill paying information.
Clarksville Gas & Water administration and engineering offices, including customer service centers, will be closed Friday. Gas & Water personnel are receiving customer work orders and responding to their emergencies as expediently as possible. Customers should call (931) 645-0116 for gas, water or sewer emergencies only. Some callers are experiencing long wait times and are encouraged to be patient and remain on the line to keep their place for the next available representative. WebConnect, at www.clarksvillegw.com, is available for customer payments online. Payment drop boxes are also available around the clock at customer service centers at 2215 Madison St. and 2015 Fort Campbell Blvd.