Amherst News-Times, 2004-12-29

              ladies stomp lakewood - paqe 6 amherst news-timl i : record snows cause chilly wc city gets by on thin ice jason hawk news-times reporter forecasters predict could sec highs of 52 degrees tomorrow, but the warm-up won't be enough to melt frosty memories region's great est snowfall since infamous blizzard 1978. first 15-or-so inches began drifting into town last wednesday morning around 10 a.m., and police scram bled handle 12 traffic crashes in following eight hours, according lieutenant joseph kucirck. "thursday, everybody was driving so slow that main slide-offs weren't even really accidents," said chief lonnic dillon, emphasizing most calls for help resulted from vehicles skidding off road. "usually this time year you don't have many fatal accidents unless they are head-on because people snow which is better during a crash than being concrete or blacktop," he said. conditions worsened thursday as bulk shut down arteries businesses, kucirck before day's 13 disabled vehicle calls, had find way get work. unable depart ment's fleet fori crown victoria cruisers road, small band ofofficers recruited four-wheel-drive trucks car ried dispatchers patrolmen duty. firefighters were making same effort rescue snowed-in medical personnel, transporting several nurses doctors local facilities, assistant fire continued page barb george her son, spencer, brave wind-swept, slick sledding hill storm dump its 15 lorain county. at golden acres nursing home early afternoon traditional stomping grounds sled-bearing youngsters. tormy day whee hittin' slopes tyler moore (above) perched edge lip toboggan, while (below) snowboarder klaus miller surfs downward, towing his sister, madison. kids perfect heavy powder ride afternoon. look plowing inside cabin remember '78? few years, we'll all hearkening back deluge '04. rest us strug gled with plastic shovels odd snowblower, perhaps nobody more intimate night's 12-to-14-inch dumping amherst's unsung heroes: plow drivers. "problem is, it's covering right up behind us," calm jeff barnes piloted 2.5-ton salter through streets wintery blast's initial mid-afternoon frenzy. been foolhardy skid fishtail my garage it became painfully obvious we about receive an awesome reminder power nature. crazy haul myself passen ger seat barnes's mammoth road warrior, where two decade veteran things snowy laid out some basics under-uppreciated job. there 70 rniles amherst, kn,ows "location pet name every single pothole, catch-basin, curb cul-de-sac route, truck among largest used street crews much 200 tons salt cn roads snows. drivers fit 10-foot wide plows front end each truck. takes four passes just clear one "storms tricky, only doing best can," barnes. "i've seen reports call squalls inches. can play tricks shift direction you. doesn't care predictions." carried five-points intersection north ridge cleveland avenue cooper foster park, weaving thoroughfares smalt side along way. "barney, friends him, started working for- when h)5 16, able join crew after gradu ating high school marion t. steele. twenty-three years taught." mm how e like fylario. andretti would if hauling chemically-treated feeling liis curb-line laughing winced 42-jnch scraped under rim pf mailbox quarter-inch margin. he's sorry jhose 'do occasionally abused 8 u