According to the infamous groundhog, we are looking at six weeks of winter. Which means six more weeks of snow, ice and wintry mix that wreaks havoc on our roadways. This winter we have seen two extremes on our major thoroughfares: a monster storm in November that stranded motorists on the Thruway for more than a day and a minor snowfall in early January that closed much of the Thruway for 36 hours.

In both cases, there were issues with the handling of the situation. We absolutely cannot have motorists stuck on the Thruway buried in several feet of snow creating a potentially deadly situation. We also can’t close it unnecessarily when a minor snowfall comes our way, forcing all cars and tractor trailers that would have been on the Thruway onto surrounding secondary streets. That can create a very frustrating and dangerous situation.

In response to the mishandling of Thruway closures, the Legislature’s Chairman of the Public Safety Committee has contacted the New York State Thruway Authority seeking information. Mainly, the Legislature wants to ensure there is a cohesive plan between the federal, state and local emergency responders to deal with storms. The questions raised include when to enact the emergency blockades at each of the entrances and a plan to deal with cars when they are forced exit the closed Thruway. For example, Route 62 in Hamburg became a mess, littered with tractor trailers after the Thruway closed. This was an issue for the local government to clear this main roadway, hindering efforts to get equipment to other parts of the town, and also blocked access to the hospital.

I am hoping we will hear a response from the Thruway Authority soon. They were absent from meetings in which management of the November storm was discussed and it is important that we hear from this agency.

But, if we are going to have six more weeks of winter, try and enjoy it as well. Visit www.erie.gov/parks for information about tobogganing, sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating and other winter activities available in the county parks system. The toboggan chutes at Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park are extremely rare and a must-do family winter activity for many families. Please enjoy the chutes, and any sledding hill, carefully.

I also want to remind residents that I am hosting another HEAP Outreach in the district. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at Eden Town Hall, 2795 East Church St., Eden. HEAP is a federally funded program to assist income eligible Erie County residents with the costs of home heating, electricity, and energy conservation. The HEAP outreach will be administered by the Erie County Departments of Social Services and Senior Services and is open to all income eligible households. For questions or additional information, please call the HEAP Hotline at (716) 858-7644 or HEAP Application Request Line at (716) 858-1969.

In another matter, the county has announced nine municipal projects for inclusion in the Erie County Consortium 2015 Community Development Block Grant. The County Executive announced that the application recommends a total Erie County expenditure of $1,156,487 for the nine projects, an investment that will leverage $1,973,091 in local funds and in-kind resources. Included in the list is $100,000 for Burmon Drive Road reconstruction in the Town of Orchard Park; $100,000 for Boston Cross Road storm drainage improvements in the Town of Boston, and $270,000 for Rural Transit services that will impact various communities.

If you have any questions about a county matter, please contact me at 858-8850 or email john.mills@erie.gov.