Messiah Campus Hit by Back-to-Back Snow
Facility Services and Local Contractors Work Overtime
Sushannah Sorenson
Issue date: 2/25/10 Section: News
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"Normally Facility Services deals with snow removal," says Shafer, "Because of the impending snow storm on Tuesday, however, we called in some contractors to help clear the Pit and some other areas from the weekend storm."
According to Brad Markley, Director of Facility Services, almost every employee on the Campus Events, Maintenance, and Grounds Crew staffs were working to clear the snow during both storms.
Students were encouraged to clean off their cars quickly after each snow fall. "We wanted to encourage students to be smart about it," Shafer said. "It's easier to get the snow off when it's still soft, before it freezes."
In answer to some complaints about cars being plowed in, Shafer says such conditions are impossible to avoid with this much snow. She says that another motivation behind having students clear their cars was that they could be moved more easily before the snow iced over.
Markley says, Facility Services staff was also in the Pit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday to help students dig out their cars.
According to Markley, the college spent $22,000 on ice melting agents and contracted help between February 1 and 18. Employees also spent 1,781 hours working on snow removal alone.
Crews worked to shovel, plow, and snow blow walkways, roads, and parking lots. Shafer says that the roads and sidewalks around dormitories and residences were the highest priority for the crews, especially those housing physically disabled students.
Equipment was brought in to move some of the bigger snow banks to an area across the Covered Bridge. "Most of the snow we moved was from the Pit and some main areas of campus," Markley said.
Some students found it very challenging to get their cars out of the parking lot due to the amount of snow left by the plows. "I had to do a K-turn just to get out of my spot [on Friday] because it was so tight," says Leah Sharpe, a sophomore who parks in D-Lot. "But they were working on it, and you have to give them credit for that."
"I think they did pretty good considering how much snow we got," says Anya Zook, another sophomore who parks her car in D-Lot. "Getting out of the Pit was frustrating, but I don't know what they could have done to make it clearer."
In the past, the facility staff has cleared each lot individually in order to plow. "We couldn't do that this time because of Little Sibs Weekend and all the events going on," Markley says. "We needed all the public parking and were afraid that the cars wouldn't get moved back to their lots in time."
Markley added that if students ever feel like one lot is getting more attention than another, they should call Facility Services, who will address the issue. "We're here to service the students and their needs," he says.
Several cases of damage have been reported as a result of the snow equipment. "A few cars got knicked by plows, but there was no major damage," Shafer says. She added that the college is working with its insurance companies and the students' insurance companies about the damage.
A fire hydrant near the Larsen Student Union was also hit by a plow. Shafer says the water company was called to inspect it and reported the damage to be minimal.
Markley says that while smaller areas, like bike racks, will still be cleared, there are no plans to move any more snow. Crews were also out last Thursday to touch up some areas.
Shafer says she is grateful for all the staff of the Facility and Dining Services for all the hard work they put in during the storms. For the pay period covering the storms, many employees worked 15 to18 hour days, racking up 2,300 hours of overtime, and some even slept on campus.
"The time they spent here was time taken away from their own families," Shafer says. "I think that speaks to the staff's dedication to the students and their safety."
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