Frigid temperatures mixed with precipitation from Winter Storm Fern has led to much of North Carolina sheltering and staying in this weekend. To help encourage that — and to allow some of its staff either stay home or address adverse conditions — many of the local governments in Orange and Chatham counties are altering their operations.
As the weekend began and the storm advanced, town and county governments shared not only how residents can stay safe, but what facilities and services would not be available. Here is the list of what has changed:
Orange County
All five of the Orange County government’s Solid Waste and Recycling Centers closed at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24. Orange County Solid Waste encouraged curbside recycling customers to still put their carts outside and said crews will collect them as road conditions permit.
The county’s Blackwood Farm Park and Little River Regional Park closed at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 and stay closed through Sunday, Jan. 25. Additionally, both the Orange County Library main branch in Hillsborough and the southern branch in Carrboro are closed for the entire weekend.
The District 15B court system, which covers Orange and Chatham counties, will also be closed on Monday, Jan. 26.
Town of Chapel Hill
The Chapel Hill Transit bus service operated normally for much of Saturday — but ahead of the precipitation beginning, Saturday routes will end early with the final stop of the NU line arriving to the RR Lot around 7:42 p.m. Service for Sunday will be fully cancelled, with all routes and EZ-rider trips unavailable out of concern for road conditions.
The Town of Chapel Hill’s parks and recreation facilities similarly opened for Saturday morning, but closed starting at 1 p.m. in advance of the storm and will remain closed on Sunday.
The Chapel Hill Public Library was also open on Saturday for its full hours, but is closed for Sunday and Monday with all public programming cancelled.
Town of Carrboro
Starting Saturday night and continuing through at least 7 p.m. on Monday, the Town of Carrboro will be using the municipal lot on the corner of North Greensboro Street and Weaver Street for staging its Public Works vehicles used for clearing and de-icing roads. At that point, Public Works staff will be staged in the Century Center for storm operations. Both the parking lot and Century Center will be closed for public use.
As town crews work on the roads, Carrboro asked residents and visitors to not park vehicles on the streets and to not pass vehicles plowing snow or spreading brine.
Town of Hillsborough
All town parks and greenways in Hillsborough closed to public access starting Friday out of an abundance of caution. The local government said for updates throughout inclement winter weather, visit Hillsborough’s dedicated webpage for Emergency Updates.
Town of Pittsboro
All of Pittsboro’s parks and their public restroom facilities closed on Saturday in advance of the storm, with the town government telling residents they will remain closed until further notice. The decision included the postponement of a groundbreaking for the new Lewis Freeman on Rectory Street. Additionally, the town’s waste collection will be delayed by one day the week of Jan. 26 as its contractor, GFL, will be closed on Monday from the winter weather.
Chatham County Government
The Chatham County government declared a state of emergency on Friday before Winter Storm Fern arrived, which led to altered service over the weekend. All of the county’s waste collection centers, libraries and parks closed at 5 p.m. on Saturday, with all recreation programs canceled. Parks will remain closed on Sunday as well.
Both Orange and Chatham Counties are part of a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service thanks to Winter Storm Fern. Heading into the weekend, forecasts indicated a multi-day winter weather event, with high chances of poor road conditions and widespread power outages from ice accumulation. The primary band of snow is north of both counties, but the region could see freezing rain, sleet and ice throughout Sunday, Jan. 25.
Find a list of safety resources, local emergency services, shelter options and more on Chapelboro. Ready.gov, a website through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, also offers several safety tips for staying warm, keeping power, and enduring inclement winter weather. More information can be found here.
Featured photo via Maggie Funkhouser/Town of Carrboro.
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