RUMFORD — The arrival of the region’s first major snowstorm of the season Monday left some people in the River Valley happy, and others busy with plowing and sanding.
The Public Works departments for Rumford and Dixfield reported they hadn’t run into any problems as of late afternoon. However, in Dixfield, clerk Darlene Brann said their crew “wasn’t at full capacity today.”
“We have a smaller amount of trucks out there right now,” Brann explained. “We have some people on sick leave, so we’re doing the best we can right now.”
Brann said problems might occur after school is out, due to the increase in traffic. She recommended residents “stay in town, try not to drive too far and take it easy” for the next couple of days to avoid accidents.
Lt. Roy Hodsdon of the Mexico Police Department said that as of late Monday afternoon, police hadn’t received many complaints about accidents, but he expects that to change Tuesday and Wednesday as the snow turns to rain.
Paige Carter, marketing director at Black Mountain Ski Resort in Rumford, was quick to voice her excitement about the storm.
“Everything over here is looking all white and beautiful,” Carter said. “It should make for a great opening day on Saturday. Once people look out their window and see the snow in their front yard, it boosts the excitement for skiing and snowboarding.”
Carter said the ski resort is still making snow on several trails and she has “high hopes” that the weather will remain cooperative.
“I heard the forecast say there might be some rain in the next couple of days,” Carter said. “Hopefully, they’re wrong about that.”
While Carter remains happy about the storm, students in the River Valley region may have been disappointed after most schools received a one-hour delay in lieu of a cancellation.
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- The roads in downtown Rumford, specifically Congress and River streets, remained difficult to drive on, even though Rumford Public Works spent the day plowing, sanding and salting.
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