Update: Three Public Hearings Still On; Schools Closed

Three public hearings scheduled for tonight are still on. Public hearings on the proposed $133 million school construction program, the $6.37 million reconstruction of Thames Street and the improvements to River Road are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Groton Senior Center.

The hearings follow a Town Council committee of the whole meeting set for 6 p.m.

A Groton Parent Council meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. is also still scheduled, although the school department said they may decide to cancel this.

School administrators have reversed their earlier decision to delay the opening of school today and have decided to close because of the icy conditions. The National Weather Service predicted freezing rain before 9 a.m. in Groton, then rain.

Temperatures were expected to hit a high near 41 degrees, the weather service said. Little or no ice was expected to accumulate, and about an inch of new snow was possible.

The Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security issued a winter storm update at 8 p.m. Monday, cautioning that snow on flat roofs and decks combined with another 1 inch or 1 and 1/2 inch of rain or sleet could cause the structures to fail.

"The mixed and liquid precipitation is forecast to add approximately 30 (to) 50 percent more weight to some roofs and decks that already have a deep snowpack resting on them," the department said. "If any towns receive more than 2 inches of rain, then the failure risk would be expected to increase significantly."