Foley offices to close Thursday

FOLEY – Foley city offices will remain closed Thursday due to poor road conditions.

The City Council meeting that had been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23, will take place Monday, Jan. 27. A revised agenda for the meeting will be released before the meeting. The meeting and work session will begin at 4 p.m. at Foley City Hall.

While the snow has stopped, Foley officials are urging residents and visitors to continue to take precautions and stay off the streets Wednesday during severe winter weather conditions.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the city did well during the cold weather and snowfall.

“Foley is in great shape,” Hellmich said Wednesday. “People heeded the warnings and stayed off the roads generally. Hopefully, Thursday will allow operations to resume.”

David Wilson, Foley public safety executive director, said drivers should stay off area roads if possible.

“We recommend you get comfortable at home, enjoy the beautiful scenery that the historic snow has given us but please stay off the streets today,” he said. “That will worsen as well once the sun melts some of the snow and then refreezes tonight and tomorrow.”

WIlson said the conditions made responses difficult for some emergency units.

“The roads yesterday and last night were in such rough shape that we had to have limited responses by police, fire and even the ambulance services on non-emergency calls,” Wilson said Wednesday. “Hopefully everyone had time to get what they needed from the store with all the advanced warning that was given.”

A warming shelter continued to be open at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Foley. On Wednesday morning, 10 people were reported using the shelter.

In Foley, city offices closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wilson said many stories continue to be closed Wednesday.