WEATHER ALERT: DC region expected to be hit with snowfall and freezing weather for second time this December
After being overwhelmed with the response last winter when Arlington leaders asked the community for ideas to help name their snow plows, they decided to do it again.
But the county had more than double the number of responses to review, arranging them in categories, such as celebrities and references to life in Northern Virginia.
The result is a finalized list of 75 names for the snow plows, which also function as salt trucks.
“This is kind of our effort to bring attention to all the work that goes into Arlington County snow preparations and our snow response,” said Kiara Candelaria Nieves, communication specialist with Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services.
The idea, Nieves said, isn’t unique. Cities in Minnesota, Massachusetts and as far away as Scotland have launched similar contests.
In Arlington, the selected names appear on the digital Snow Activity Map. It becomes active when there are 2 or more inches of snow and allows users to track the plows, with a slight delay for safety purposes.
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It offers a way for people, “when they’re at home due to the snow, they’re able to follow along in almost real time just to see the progress that has been done as the plows go through the county and make the streets passable,” Nieves said.
Of the 75 names, 45 are for county-owned plows and 15 are for contractors. In the event of a major cleanup effort, there are 15 names on the list as backups. During January’s large snow event, the county had to solicit extras.
This year’s top name is “Slick-Sleddin’,” a spinoff of the popular phrase “6-7.” “Plowy McPlowface,” “Blizzard of Oz,” “The Big Leplowski” and “The Life of a Snowgirl” round out the top five.