Like a kid wondering if school will be canceled, Lindsey Uhlig anxiously watches the weather forecast every winter. But for Uhlig, snow means going to work. Uhlig is the public works director for Manheim Borough, where not only does she oversee four employees who plow the streets, but she's also out on the roads behind the wheel of a plow whenever winter weather strikes. She answered some questions about how the borough handles snow removal and keeps Manheim residents safe.

Merchandiser: How many miles of roads does the borough plow?

Uhlig: We plow 27 miles, and 13 of them are alleys.

Merchandiser: At what point do you start plowing? And how long does it typically take?

Uhlig: We'll start plowing at 2 inches of snow. That could take between six and eight hours to clear.

Merchandiser: When does the borough start planning for snow removal, and what do you use on the roads?

Uhlig: We typically start in the beginning of December, after we finish with leaf collecting, because we use the same equipment for both operations. We don't use antiskid on our roads. We use regular salt.

Merchandiser: How does the borough determine the order and priority of plowing roads?

Uhlig: The snow emergency routes are our priority. We need to get those clear, and we clear out the police station and the ambulance. There are seven streets on our snow emergency routes. Then we start in the center of town and work our way out into the alleys and smaller streets that are not our main arteries. Main and High streets and the square are the top of our list.

Merchandiser: What's the most challenging part about plowing?

Uhlig: The biggest problem we have is parked cars in town. We try to notify people the best we can when they need to move their cars. We want people to know that if they move their cars off the street, we will plow right up next to the curb and make a nice parking space for them.

Merchandiser: What hours do you plow?

Uhlig: We work around the clock. We have plowed all day and all night. Typically, we plow with two drivers on and two off for 12-hour shifts. We won't go home until I'm satisfied with the safety of traffic flow and the conditions of the roads.

Merchandiser: If a resident has questions about the borough snow policies, what should he or she do?

Uhlig: We have lots of information on our website - https://manheimboro.org - or they can call the borough office at 717-665-2461.

Merchandiser: Is there anything else you'd like people in Manheim to know about snow removal?

Uhlig: Please be patient with us. It's very difficult to know how long it's going to take to plow or when we're going to get to a certain road, because it all depends on the weather conditions. There is a lot of strategizing that goes into this. We're constantly working on new ways to improve our operations, better ways to improve ourselves as well. There is a strategy to snow removal, and we want to do it in the most efficient way that will keep everyone safe. Everything we do is to keep our roads safe for the residents of Manheim.