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Mount Carmel officials praise snow response, warn against driving around barricades and levees
Summary
City leaders thanked public works crews for clearing roads after recent storms, reminded drivers that bypassing barricades is illegal under state statutes, and urged residents to avoid levees and unregistered UTVs; the senior center remains the daytime heating shelter.
Mayor and other city officials on Monday credited Mount Carmel City public works crews for keeping streets passable after recent storms, but they cautioned residents against bypassing barricades and riding unregistered UTVs on levees.
“The roads, in my eyes, have been extremely well cleared versus other communities,” the Mayor said, describing calls from neighboring mayors praising Mount Carmel’s clearing operations. The Mayor said planning began the week before the storm and thanked public works staff — “Mike and his group and me and Ryan chiming in a little bit” — for implementing the plan.
Why it matters: city leaders said aggressive clearing helped keep emergency access open and reduced calls about stranded residents. At the same time officials warned that public-safety laws protect highway and road crews.
“Do not go around a barricade with a road closed sign on it,” the Mayor said, adding that officers will issue tickets and that there are “a lot of state statutes, and, laws about protecting highway workers,” and that tickets and follow-up by Chief McWilliams’ officers are possible for violators.
Chief McWilliams thanked public works for clearing sidewalks near the elementary and grade schools after ice made walking hazardous, saying crews spent “probably a day and a half out there getting the sidewalks opened up” so students could get to school safely.
City staff and commissioners also described the senior center as Mount Carmel’s daytime heating shelter, and said evening shelter requests are handled case by case through the police department. “If somebody’s needing some in the evening time, we’ll take it case by case and find them somewhere to go,” the Mayor said.
Officials pressed residents to follow levee restrictions after observing off-road vehicles and UTVs on levee surfaces. “Do not even go around the levees. Fifteen foot from the toe of that levee, you are not allowed to be around,” a staff speaker said, warning that repairs must be overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and can cost the city “tens of thousands of dollars.”
Multiple speakers noted an increase in unregistered UTVs in town during recent storms and events, saying many lacked lights or turn signals and complicated enforcement. “It makes it harder for the people that follow the law and our ordinance,” one speaker said, urging owners to register vehicles and obtain stickers for the year.
The Mayor and commissioners also reported water-main breaks during the weather event and said the city will communicate closures and repairs to media and residents as needed.
Ending: Officials encouraged residents to be patient during clean-up and to report missed services (trash, roadway hazards) through city channels so crews can respond.
