East Village Echo

Snow Budget Buster

by the East Village Board of Directors

As all East Village residents are aware, January 2026 came roaring in with a significant snow/ice mix storm. The maintenance crews readily handle most snowstorms, and roads and sidewalks return to normal use. Not with this storm. Predictions for 14+ inches of snow didn’t materialize, but it was the several inches of an icy mix, coupled with single-digit temperatures that locked the area into a frozen-like tundra.

The impact for all of Montgomery Village and Montgomery County was plain to see. Schools closed for over a week. Roads in East Village had to be tackled several times because of the thick ice on top of the snow.

All of this is to say, it impacted the East Village snow budget. The board relies on past weather events to try to match the projected cost to future events. An annual budget of over $60,000 for street and sidewalk was allocated for 2026. However, because of the nature of the storm of January, 2026, it’s estimated this one storm may cost East Village between $75,000 and $100,000. Thankfully, through careful planning over the years by the EV board, there are healthy reserves to bring the necessary services to the residents.

Some helpful reminders for residents. Most residents were mindful to have their vehicles parked in their garages or driveways. That allowed for quicker snow removal. Residents were also helpful to use Facebook and the EV emergency line to alert Community Manager April Steward of areas that needed more attention.

Many residents responded to helping each other clear driveways. It was observed that many enterprising young people were able to earn some extra cash by offering their services to clear walkways, too. Good job!

As a reminder, East Village does not clear parking spaces. Doing so would require time away from clearing roads and add to the budget cost for snow.

ELECTIONS COMING
Ballots were approved by the East Village board at its January board meeting. Residents will soon receive ballots along with candidate statements. Please carefully read the informative statements and signs and return the ballots in the prepaid envelopes.

STOP SIGNS SLOWING TRAFFIC
With several relatively new stop signs posted on East Village Avenue, it appears traffic has slowed down a bit. Residents can help those who would normally rush through East Village by obeying the stop signs and making complete stops. As one person once read on a bumper sticker: “Your failure to plan doesn’t make it my emergency.” Sounds like that might apply to those who speed through our main street and don’t obey the law by running stop signs on the way to their destination. Stay safe and stay warm.

East Village Echo: for residents of The Downs, The Reach, The Estates, Essex Place II, Candle Ridge, Gablefield, Glenbrooke, Meadowgate, Ashford, Holly Pointe and Wethersfield.