Gilberts still battling drifts on Binnie

All roads in Gilberts have at least on passable lane open, Village President Rick Zirk said. The village’s public works department is now pushing snow drifts back from the roadway. The one problematic area remains Binnie Road from Galligan Road to Randall Road, where road crews and a private business are working to clear the roadway.

“We have blocked that area off because it is a horrendous area for drifting,” Zirk said. “We haven’t been able to get through that yet.”

Zirk said although the storm was a significant event, the village and residents largely came through unscathed. A group of about a dozen people spent Tuesday night at village hall after becoming stranded on snow-covered roads, Zirk said. Trustees Patricia Mierisch and Guy Zambetti scrambled to open village hall to serve as a warming center for the stranded motorists.

Resident Rob Vanni used his snowmobile to ferry the motorists to village hall where Jack Rood, a Gilberts police officer, and his family provided food.

“People seemed to take the advice and hunkered down,” Zirk said. “Most people stayed home and the ones that didn’t will next time. We had to deal with it and it turned out OK. But it’s not something we want to have to do again.”