Schools close; drivers fret
Washington and Lee University closed at 1 p.m. and students were hoping for a Friday cancellation, but Facilities Management Director Scott Beebe said "it's not going to happen."
(ABRI NELSON / Rockbridge Report)
As Thursday dawned in Rockbridge County, schoolchildren cheered and grabbed their sleds. A winter storm dumped several inches of snow on the area, causing schools to close their doors for the day.
Washington and Lee University student Cody Beauchamp was out sledding on the university's Front Lawn. The university closed at 1 p.m.
"I'm happy the school cancelled afternoon classes," he said. "I'm just taking pictures, enjoying it."
The snow didn't bring as much joy to area business owners. Lucia Owens, owner of Sunday's Child on Washington Street, said she had done only $10 in sales by 3 p.m.
Mike Lovelace, manager of the local Wal-Mart, said many customers were shopping Wednesday, but that business Thursday was slow. Milk, eggs and bread were the store's most popular products Thursday, he said.
Tom Lomax, co-owner of Pumpkinseeds, said he kept three of his stores open in hopes that W&L students would go shopping after the school was closed. Lomax's menswear store, George and Bob, was closed all day because the street had not been shoveled, he said.
Lexington dispatches snow plows to clear the streets during snowfall, but a city ordinance requires residents to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes or businesses within six hours of a storm.
Although schools were closed, not everyone was allowed to go home. W&L's "essential staff," including those working for the university's dining services, had to stay until 8 p.m.
"I think they need to pay us time and a half, and if I see the president I'm going to tell him that," said Vera Merchant, an employee at the university's Café '77.
Dining staff were sent home four hours earlier than usual. Still, Merchant said she worried that road conditions would worsen later in the day.
"Why should we have to endanger our lives?" she said. "Everyone else gets to go home. Where's the consideration?"
The university's Omicron Delta Kappa induction ceremony, honoring student leadership, went ahead as scheduled, but the usual academic procession from the Colonnade to Lee Chapel was cancelled.
But the weather kept some travelling parents from attending the ceremony. Junior Jen Lysenko said her parents couldn't make a connecting flight from Detroit because of bad weather Wednesday night.
Most flights out of Northeastern airports were delayed 15 minutes or less, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Driving conditions were worse than flight conditions, according to the National Weather Service. Rockbridge County roads were expected to collect about one tenth of an inch of ice, and driving conditions were hazardous or impossible, according to the service's Web site.
A Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman said roads in Rockbridge County were, for the most part, in "moderate" condition. VDOT was advising Rockbridge drivers to use chains or snow tires as ice and snow continued to gather on the roads.
The Associated Press reported a tractor-trailer accident Thursday morning on Interstate 81 near Natural Bridge, which caused southbound traffic to back up into Rockbridge County. VDOT representatives in Botetourt County could not be reached.
The National Weather Service expected 3-5 inches of snow and ice by Thursday night, but the snow turned to rain as temperatures began to rise. Friday's forecast is for partly sunny skies with a high of 43 degrees.
Washington Post reporter and author Bob Woodward still plans to give a talk in W&L's Lee Chapel Friday, according to Robert Fure, the university's director of special programs. Fure said Woodward planned to leave Washington on schedule at 7 a.m., to arrive in time for his 11:30 speech. But a number of guests who planned to attend the event had to cancel because of the weather, Fure said.
Friday's forecast doesn't bode well for students hoping for a long weekend. W&L Facilities Management Director Scott Beebe said that about 100 employees were working hard to keep roads, sidewalks and steps clear and safe for the students.
"I know you were hoping to cancel school, but it's not going to happen," Beebe said.
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