UP Gazette

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Community members are advised that City of East Lansing offices will be closing early today due to the forecasted inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions.

East Lansing City Hall, the East Lansing 54B District Court and the East Lansing Department of Public Works (DPW) will be closing at noon. The East Lansing Hannah Community Center (ELHCC) and East Lansing Public Library (ELPL) will be closing at 2 p.m. Regular operations are expected to resume tomorrow morning for all City offices, with the exception of ELHCC, which will have a delayed opening at 8 a.m.

Tonight’s East Lansing Planning Commission and Library Board of Trustees meetings have been canceled. The Library Board of Trustees meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 1 at 4:45 p.m. at the East Lansing Public Library.

Today’s counseling services at the ELPL have also been canceled and counseling services previously scheduled to take place at ELHCC over the next two days (Wednesday, Feb. 22 and Thursday, Feb. 23) will now be offered virtually from 2-6 p.m. Those in need of counseling services can visit https://tinyurl.com/msucounsel to enter the waiting room to be paired with a clinician (Zoom passcode: 708367). These virtual counseling services are being offered by MSU and they are HIPAA-compliant.

City officials are closely monitoring this forecasted winter storm, which is expected to result in a combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain beginning today and continuing overnight and into tomorrow morning. The worst conditions are expected late today.

Community members are encouraged to avoid parking on streets during the storm to accommodate snow and ice removal operations by DPW. Overnight parking on streets will be suspended tonight, Feb. 22.

DPW crews will be prioritizing snow plowing and ice removal in the following order:

1. State highways and major streets
2. Residential street stops, hills and corners
3. Residential streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs 

Crews will be applying salt/brine to ice as needed on state highways, major streets and in critical areas (i.e. stops, hills and corners); however, it should be noted that less traffic on the roads and the cold temperatures will limit its effectiveness.

DPW crews will likely need to work around the clock and will be relying on relief drivers due to the long hours out on the road. Community members are encouraged to be patient as crews will need to work to make sure first priority routes are maintained until conditions are under control, at which time, they will move to residential streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs.

The National Weather Service is advising motorists to avoid travel if they can as road conditions deteriorate. Community members can find additional winter storm preparation and safety tips here: https://www.michigan.gov/miready/be-informed/winter-prep/preparing-for-a-winter-storm.

Original source can be found here.