City Of Rochester Services Go Virtual Ahead of Winter Storm

Several schools and organizations in our area have already announced that they will be closed Thursday and Friday and now the City of Rochester has issued an update.

"City office-based services will shift to virtual methods due to the dangerous weather conditions forecasted by the National Weather Service for Thursday, December 22 through Saturday, December 24." Read the latest weather-related announcements here, and check out how community services will shift over the next few days below.

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Administrator Alison Zelms said, “The safety of the public and City teammates is our top priority. Shifting our office-based services to the virtual tools we have available allows city teammates and Rochester residents to avoid traveling in the dangerous blizzard conditions predicted. Furthermore, the reduction in traffic will lessen the burden on our critical teammates in Police, Fire and Public Works who will keep roads passable for emergency response and essential travel.”

A city press release explains that city office-based services will still be available during the normal business hours of 8 am – 5 pm on Thursday and Friday, but community members are being asked to access these services by phone or the city website.

City Facilities That Will Be Closed

Kim David/TSM

The following buildings will be closed to in-person public services Thursday and Friday:

City Hall

Development Services & Infrastructure Center

Public Works Transit & Operations Center

Traffic and Operations Building

Rochester Police Department:

Kim David/TSM

The Records window at the Government Center will remain open Thursday and Friday.

The Records window at the North Station will be closed Thursday and Friday.

Rochester Public Library:

Google Street View

Closed Thursday and Friday

The Bookmobile will not be operating Thursday or Friday

Rochester Public Transit (RPT):

RPT photo

RPT is offering a “Warm Place to Be” Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Anyone stuck in the cold can simply notify an RPT driver and they will be allowed on city busses to warm up with no fare charged.

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU):

Credit: RPU via Facebook

The RPU lobby will remain open on Thursday and Friday. Customers are encouraged to use the phone or virtual tools to conduct their business prior to visiting the front desk in-person.

Parks & Recreation

· All AccessABLE Rec activities for Thursday, December 22 are canceled

· Recreation Center - Closing at 3:30pm Thursday and all day Friday

· Graham Arena – Closed all day Thursday and Friday

· National Volleyball Center – Closed all day Thursday and Friday

· Pipsqueaks Indoor Playground – Closed all day Thursday and Friday

Public Works

Seasonal Parking Requirements are in effect from 2 am to 3 pm every day November 1 to April 1

Thursday, December 22 park on the even side of the street

Friday, December 23 park on the odd side of the street

Saturday, December 24 park on the even side of the street

BRRRR: The 15 Coldest Cities in America

You live here. You know how cold it gets, and by now you're probably used to it, but you should probably brace yourself because the National Weather Service issued a La Niña advisory last month and said, "La Niña winters in the southern tier of the US tend to be warmer and drier, while the northern tier and Canada tend to be even colder.

The list below is from Niche. They put together their list of the coldest cities in the county by looking at which ones had "the coldest average low temperatures during the winter months." Keep scrolling to see the 15 coldest cities in the United States.

Filed Under: Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, Winter

Categories: Closings & Delays

City Of Rochester Services Go Virtual Ahead of Forecasted Winter Storm

BRRRR: The 15 Coldest Cities in America