With winter quickly approaching, The Journal and the City of Cottage Grove would like to give you some reminders.

Auto Care Take your car in or take a look yourself. Make sure fluid levels are good, especially your antifreeze. Ensure the antifreeze is the right mixture for down to at least 50 degrees below zero. Check your tires air pressure and tread depth. Also check the tires for even wear. Your tires are the only thing keeping you going and stopping, you want to make sure they are in great shape heading into the snowy months. If you are unsure, please see one of the great local car care professionals in Cottage Grove.

Car Safety Kit Get or make your own car safety kit. Many options are available online. Some key items to have for local trips, flashlight, warning lights of some kind, blankets, extra gloves, a big pile of hand warmers all help make things a little better if you get stuck in the ditch and cannot run your car while you wait for help. A small or collapsible shovel is a great thing to keep in the trunk too!

Home Heating Make sure to replace your furnace filter monthly and get your furnace checked every year. There are many great locally owned Heating companies in the area offering low cost furnace inspections. According to Bruce at Liberty Heating and Cooling, “A crack in your furnaces heat exchange can cause carbon monoxide to get into the house which can be deadly. Furnace inspections and tune-ups are an important part of keeping your family safe during the cold months.”

Fire and CO detectors Experts say you need to change the batteries, event back up batteries twice a year in your fire and CO detectors. The easiest way to remember is to do it when we change the clocks back in the fall and ahead in the spring. We just fell back an hour last weekend; did you change your batteries? $20 now could mean the difference between life and death later. If you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, why not? Run to Ace or Menards and pick some up. One per floor is recommended, including the basement.

Shovels and Snowblowers Make sure you know where yours are and make sure the snowblower runs. Get your gas can topped off and ready to go for when the snow flies. Yeah, it has already done that once and you were not prepared were you? Make sure you know where the shovels are too and get them accessible. Do not forget to clear any sidewalks on your property.

Trash Cans, Mailboxes and Fire Hydrants Another thing that can be a huge help is clearing out around the mailbox for the mail carrier and keeping a spot clean for your trash cans to sit when they are picked up. Remember, you are not supposed to leave your trash cans in the street. If it snows on or just before your pickup day, make sure the driver can access your carts safely. Keep them close to the curb, away from snowbanks and other obstacles but not in the street. Don’t forget to clear around fire hydrants on your property too. The morse room you give fire fighters to access fire hydrants, the easier you make their job if you or your neighbors need them!

Ice Melt Do you have some? Get some early in the year so you will not have to run out in icy conditions only to finds out stores are out because everyone needed it all of a sudden. It’s a lowcost insurance policy for slips and falls on your property. If you have a sidewalk on your property, do not forget to treat that as well. It is typically the homeowner’s responsibility to keep sidewalks clear from ice and snow. Keep an ice cream bucket or two of ice melt in your car just in case you get stuck somewhere. You never know if it might help get you out!

Parking Restrictions Winter parking rules are in effect November first through March 31st. On street parking is not allowed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. regardless of whether it is snowing or not. All other hours, please remove your vehicles from the street if plows are out.

Plows and Property damage If a plow makes physical contact with your mailbox and damages it, please call 651-458-2808 to report the damage. Remember, your mailbox is to be constructed in such a way that it can withstand reasonable environmental impacts on it.

Remember, we are all in this together. Drive safe, slow down, don’t make sudden lane changes and don’t take chances. Oh, and stay back 75 feet or more from the plows.