The Unfolding of Events

On January 7, 2025, Fire Chief Jason Miller sent an E-blast to the residents of Hot Springs Village, warning of an impending severe weather event slated for Thursday and Friday, January 9-10. True to the forecast, snow arrived on Thursday, January 9. With temperatures below freezing, the mountainous and curvy roads of Hot Springs Village quickly became treacherous. Some areas reported over 12 inches of snow, an amount never seen by many long-time residents. Todd Noles, Superintendent of Streets and Sanitation, commented that he couldn’t recall experiencing such heavy snowfall in his years living in the area.

This report offers a behind-the-scenes look at the epicenter of street-clearing efforts during “Snowmageddon 2025,” delving into preparation, equipment issues, successes, and future plans to execute a smoother response.

At the heart of operations

Many staff members worked tirelessly around the clock to ensure the safety of villagers. Superintendent Noles played a pivotal role in the strategic road-clearing operations, and this article provides an in-depth, on-the-scene look at the events from his perspective.

Forgoing the comforts of home, the dedicated superintendent arrived at work at 6:00 AM on Thursday, January 9, and didn’t return home until Sunday morning, January 12. Noles slept minimally on a cot set up in his office, needing to be available round the clock to answer phone calls, coordinate snow-clearing operations, and address staff and management concerns. Frequent communications took place with General Manager Ken Unger, Director of Public Services Matt Broom, Police Chief Kristi Bennett, and Fire Chief Jason Miller. Noles noted that Unger values “communication and transparency with the Property Owners.”

With four two-man crews working in twelve-hour shifts, the committed staff kept the plows and sanders operating almost non-stop to ensure roads were open for emergency personnel. Magnesium chloride pellets (a type of salt) were mixed with the sand.

Residents were urged to stay home and avoid the roads until they could be cleared. Many residents ventured out in previous events, only to find themselves in precarious situations, necessitating rescue and towing services. Additionally, road traffic impedes crews’ ability to clear the roads.

Noles mentioned they used two snow plows with sanders and a road grader. Operating the road grader can be tricky, as some RPMs (raised pavement markers used for improving traffic safety) inevitably get damaged. The destroyed RPMs will be replaced in the spring.

Noles said that many people don’t understand that when we get ice, or the snow melts and then refreezes, it turns into ice, and the plow cannot remove it.

Preparation and planning

“We anticipated the possibility of heavy snowfall, so we performed maintenance on the sand spreaders two weeks prior. This included changing the oil, replacing fuel filters, and checking fuel lines to ensure the equipment was in top condition. We also installed new chains.”

Noles mentioned that they keep essential spare parts on hand. “If something mechanical were to fail, we have the spare parts and tools readily available to service the equipment and quickly return to snow-clearing operations,” he said. Some staff members are experienced mechanics, allowing them to make repairs at the Minorca facility. He noted that Glen Noles, in particular, is a “very good mechanic.”

Were there any equipment issues or mechanical failures?

Despite a few mechanical failures during the operation, advance preparation ensured they handled them efficiently. Noles emphasized that having spare parts and tools on hand, along with skilled mechanics like Glenn Noles, allowed for quick repairs, ensuring the equipment was promptly returned to snow-clearing operations.

Both plow/sander trucks blew fuses during the night. “Because we keep spare fuses on hand, the drivers brought the trucks in, and the new fuses were installed.” Without missing a beat, both trucks were immediately back on the road.

Additionally, a gearbox became inoperable. Fortunately, the staff had planned ahead and had an extra gearbox available. The sander was only down for 15 to 20 minutes while Glenn Noles changed the gearbox.

The sander/plow trucks nearly overheated while pushing the snow, whereas the grader did not face overheating issues. Because of this issue, the grader was used to plow most of the main roads.

Their ability to respond swiftly to these issues helped maintain the momentum of their efforts and minimize downtime.

Successes and highlights

Noles enthused, “Several people told me it was probably the quickest the roads ever cleared. I can’t express how proud I am of the dedicated team and how they worked together with our limited equipment. The whole POA did an outstanding job. They worked so hard, and we’ve received many compliments. Some say it was the best they’ve ever seen in 30 years.”

Most villagers stayed home and off the roads, reducing rescue and towing calls and providing a clear path for the road-clearing vehicles to work. Noles stated, “Cooperation from the public was very, very vital to our success. By following directions and staying inside, it made a huge difference. It’s hard to open roads up and clear them when you’ve got vehicles everywhere, sitting in the middle of the road. People try to get out, and then you’re trying to plow a road while someone comes off a hill sideways at you. It’s essential to our success that the community follows directions, stays inside, and just patiently waits it out. That’s what happened, and that’s why we were so successful this time. Because everyone cooperated.”

Other departments offered assistance and were on hand in case of need. Superintendent of Common Property, Lakes, Forestry, and Wildlife David Harper drove a plow truck.

Noles said, “I can’t express enough how proud I am of my team and how outstanding our administration at the POA is. They handled everything with excellent communication, staying in touch with each other and keeping the public informed. I’m talking about everyone from Terry Wiley to Laura Stigall, especially Ken, who managed things exceptionally well.”

Keeping morale up is important; part of that was ensuring the crews were fed a hot meal. Noles bought food and prepared breakfast and dinner for the crews and some first responders.

Ready for the next time

After the event, one of the sanders received a new conveyor chain.

Noles mentioned that they have already replenished the magnesium chloride and sand supply. Additional supplies of magnesium chloride are due to arrive any day, and the sand is fully stocked. The clean concrete sand used by the POA contains small aggregates to improve traction. “The cleaner your sand, the better it works and the better traction it provides.” Jeffrey Sand in Conway, Arkansas, supplies the village with this clean sand.

Always looking to improve

Noles explained that the next time there is a snow event, the residential streets will be plowed using GPS and in order of sanitation service. For example, the streets receiving sanitation service on Monday and Tuesday will be plowed on the same day. Wednesday and Thursday routes will be tackled the next day. “In a twenty-four hour period, we’re hoping that we can have every house or every street to every house opened up, or at least a route to them. The trash route will be the priority when we start on the residential streets. That’s the one thing we’re going to change.”

Noles said you always learn and develop different ways to improve when the next incident happens. ‘Hopefully, it won’t be for a while, but when it happens again, we’ll tackle it and handle it even better next time. We’ve got a great team of workers and a great community, and I am blessed to be a part of it.”

By Cheryl Dowden

Todd Noles – Superintendent

Streets and Sanitation
Hot Springs Village
TNoles@hsvpoa.org – Cell: 501-984-3800