It might have taken winter a while to arrive, but the weather has certainly made up for the wait.
Students in the Lake Orion Community Schools had an extended weekend because of what the district called ‘extreme cold.?
Temperatures were below zero on both Monday and Tuesday mornings around the time when kids normally begin arriving at their bus stops and schools.
‘I don’t recall another time where we’ve been closed because of the temperature,? said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Ken Gutman.
Gutman has been with the district for eight years and said those in the administration that have been here longer don’t recall a temperature-related closure either.
Administrators were in on both Monday and Tuesday, but staff and students were instructed to keep warm.
‘Student safety is our top priority,? Gutman said. ‘How do you have a kid sit at a bus stop? That’s our primary concern.?
Because there have been no other closures of the district to date, school officials are not concerned with missing too much time.
Gutman said there is a minimum required number of hours the schools must reach each year, but that would likely come into effect only if there is a prolonged closure.
Schools were back in session on Wednesday, but the school schedule was not the only thing bothered by the cold early this week.
The Lake Orion Police Department had their fleet of vehicles cut in half on Monday thanks to a pair of dead batteries.
‘There are computers in all the cars now and they are set to a standard that can deal with the cold up to extreme circumstances,? said LOPD Chief Jerry Narsh. ‘I think we’ve met that extreme.?
The fleet was back to full strength early Monday afternoon.
‘We’ve got the services in place to deal with these cold days,? Narsh said of the Village’s infrastructure.
He warned residents to stay out of the cold whenever possible, noting it is possible to sustain severe skin injury in the cold (particularly around the lakes, where crosswinds are common).
‘It’s a snuggle up and cuddle up alert day, that’s for sure,? Narsh said.
He said concerns about being on frozen lakes appear to be a thing of the past, at least for the time being.
‘Didn’t we all laugh that winter was going to pass us by?? Narsh joked.
‘I was concerned because we were so slowly coming into the winter season,? he added, noting now he hopes warmer days are ahead.