Elgin side streets being cleared; PADS numbers up

Main thoroughfares in Elgin are cleared from snow and city street crews are now working their way into residential streets, Elgin police spokeswoman Sue Olafson said.

“We’re asking for residents’ patience,” Olafson said. “The crews are working to push snow back and we ask for patience as we work to clear the streets.”

So far, city officials estimate overtime costs for the cleanup have reached $25,000, Olafson said.

The city’s warming shelter at the police department has seen very little use in recent days, Olafson said. A few people were taken to the police station Tuesday night when they experienced car trouble, she said.

Over at the city’s PADS shelter, Executive Director Dennis Hewitt said, as many as 45 people sought shelter over the past three days. Those figures are significantly higher than normal.

“Our daytime numbers in the last three days have dramatically increased because of the weather we’ve had and now the cold snap,” Hewitt said. “But the number of people we have had staying with us has been very steady since temperatures dropped into the 40s.”