There have been a fair number of complaints from homeowners about snow removal after the first snowfall of 2026.
For clarity: snowfall totals in Winchester Landing for this storm were not markedly different from last year’s storm on January 5–6, when cleanup was faster and there were few or no complaints.
Snow removal last year was handled by Greatscapes, who subcontracted the work to Wilson’s. This year, snow removal is being handled by Ruppert Landscaping, a different vendor. It appears Ruppert is subcontracting the work as well; I observed one of the snow plows with a Pondview Landscaping sign, a vendor based in Manassas, roughly 60 miles away.
The issue may have been overcommitted vendor(s) and/or a vendor not based locally, which made it difficult to get crews to our neighborhood. As a result, driveways and sidewalks were not cleared immediately after the bulk of the snow tapered off on Sunday night (Jan. 25) and work began the following day.
To be clear, this is not a criticism of the workers on the ground, who show up and do the work they’re assigned. This is about whether the service levels the community expects were delivered, and whether the vendor fulfilled the contract the Board agreed to.
For review purposes, I have requested a copy of the snow removal contract from Coventry to better understand the scope, timing, and expectations of this year’s service. I’ve also requested a copy of last year’s snow removal contract to compare it with this year’s and determine if there are any material differences between the two. Check back periodically for updates or subscribe to this site.
What homeowners should not accept is the Board’s reflexive defense of the vendor. In a group Facebook post, the Board President immediately defended the vendor rather than first acknowledging homeowner complaints.
A competent board would acknowledge residents’ concerns, review performance against the contract, and then explain the outcome—rather than responding defensively to frustrated homeowners.
Boards exist to represent owners—not to run PR for vendors.
Yes, there are probably several factors likely affecting the snow removal crews this year vs. last year, such as the ability to get to Winchester Landing with enough personnel and equipment (such as front end loaders) as well as the colder weather and wind chill this year compared to January 2025, as well as the fact that 2026 snowfall included hours of freezing rain that likely hardened the snow into ice overnight and may what slowed down snow removal somewhat. I don’t remember hours of freezing rain following the snow fall in 2025.
Thanks for your perspective. A few points for context:
Ultimately, while weather can complicate cleanup, the comparison with last year suggests that operational differences—timing and contractor performance—likely played a bigger role than weather alone.
Maybe there was not any freezing rain at Winchester Airport, but there was at my house.
Local variation is always possible, but the airport data is representative of the wider area and is what pilots rely on to understand regional conditions.