(Washington, DC) The District will hold its annual Snow Summit this Saturday to brief city employees, primarily from the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Department of Transportation (DDOT), who will be on "snow duty" this winter. The program will include several special guests, including Mayor Anthony Williams and Deputy Mayor of Operations, Herb Tillery.

Snow Summit attendees will be comprised of heavy and light plow drivers, quality assurance teams, mechanics, supply and fleet support staff, technology and communications personnel, parking enforcement officers, Snow Command Center staff, and field operations supervisors. A majority of the snow team employees have already attended program orientation, equipment and driver instruction, as well as other training courses.

According to Leslie Hotaling, Director of DPW, the agency is more prepared for winter than it has ever been. Key components of the 2002-2003 Snow and Ice Removal program include:

• Better Equipment - There are now over 440 vehicles in the snow fleet. Most of these trucks are multi-purpose, equipped to plow, spread salt or spray deicer. Of the nearly 250 snowplows, over half are new. New salt loaders were purchased last year specifically for loading the smaller light plows used in residential areas.
• Better Resource Allocation - VMS, Inc., the District's Federal Highways partner, will take on the job of clearing nearly 75 miles of federal highways including the District's major bridges, interstates and main roads. This allows municipal resources to move more quickly to neighborhood streets, including those that are unusually steep, shaded or narrow, as well as those scheduled for trash pick-up.
• Tougher Enforcement Along Emergency Routes - Cars parked on snow emergency routes during a declared snow emergency will be ticketed, fined $250, and towed.

A new public information brochure describing the city's snow plan has already been mailed to District residents. The brochure outlines the projected timeline for municipal response to winter storms ranging from a light dusting to a full-blown blizzard.