Plenty of Ardmoreites early this week were watching local weather forecasts and wondering what to do about the threat of ice. For business owners, government officials and school leaders, uncertainty about potentially dangerous weather leads to tough decisions.

At what point is caution unnecessarily impacting the important day-to-day operations of our community?

On Monday afternoon, those people were making the call to shut down rather than risk the safety of students, employees, first responders, and the general public. By Tuesday afternoon, the peanut gallery started with their succinct observations about how ‘the weather isn’t even that bad.’

And then we woke up on Wednesday to frigid temperatures but mostly dry road conditions. Could we have gotten to work and school safely? Probably.

Do I think closings were unnecessary and premature? Of course not.

These decisions are not made lightly, despite the surface-level appearance when these announcements are made. Beyond the obvious considerations to people, there are also unseen impacts on facilities, funding, and staffing when a decision is made to close.

Thank you to the various community leaders who worried less about convenience and instead decided to keep our community safe.