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Plant Ops works round the clock
Author:
Afton Kyukendall
Etownian Staff Writer
Published on February 13, 2004
We all know what it's like: hearing a
forecast for snow and praying the College will find
it in its heart to cancel class.
But we also know the snow usually comes
as expected and school is still in session, crushing
our hopes for a day off.
This leaves us in a battle of man vs.
nature as we climb through snowdrifts and cautiously
skate over icy spots on our way to class.
It seems this winter is shaping up to
be a particularly slippery one for Etown. As an indication
of the weather, we can expect the snowfall in February
to average 9.2 inches for Elizabethtown, according to
The Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Mother Nature has the grounds crew here
at Etown working from the wee hours of the morning into
the night in an effort to clear the campus of snow and
ice.
"I think we're doing okay,"
said Scott Nissley, grounds and facility manager.
So far the Facilities Management's plan
has been to allow snow to accumulate in order to keep
the freezing rain from hitting the ground and to make
clearing the ground easier. This also provides for traction
on top of any pre-existing ice.
Then they remove the mix of snow and ice
as soon as the storm is over. The next step is to apply
ice-melting material and use the small ploughs to clear
high traffic areas around campus. If conditions worsen,
the ice-melting material is spread farther throughout
campus to create mixture of ice and snow that will be
removed after the storm has concluded.
Winter storms can be costly for Plant
Operations. Nissley remembers a particular storm last
year in February which cost an estimated $20,000.
According to Nissley, the College has
recently switched ice melting products. The new ice
melting product is called Magic Salt. It contains a
combination of sodium chloride (a.k.a. rock salt) and
an agricultural byproduct.
The new product is not only a better bargain,
but it can withstand temperatures of minus 35 degrees. The
chemicals are completely non-toxic, non-corrosive and
safe for the plants, animals and people on campus.
"Magic Salt is about $10.00 per pound
and we have 2,200 pounds stocked up," noted Nissley.
"We can't predict the storms we will
get, so we haven't stocked too much. But we have
never had a problem getting it from the supplier when
we need it."
Along with the chemicals, paths and sidewalks
are also cleared with small snowplows. Unfortunately,
only one of these is currently operational.
A new feature Plant Ops is providing the
campus with this year is the email storm notices. "I
have gotten a lot of positive responses to them so far,"
said Nissley.
Junior Lauren DeFont stated, "The
emails sound like they're trying to keep us informed,
but there are still a lot of slippery places when I'm
walking on certain paths at night."
"I haven't had a really big problem
with the snow this year," said senior Courtney
Lockard. "However, they seem understaffed, but
are doing the best they can with what they're working
with."
Nissley stated, however, "I don't
necessarily feel we are understaffed. The grounds
crew could always use more help, but most people have
been satisfied with the timeliness and quality of our
work. More people would only
mean we could get the job done faster."
Facilities Management advises students
to bundle up in warm clothing and wear proper seasonal
footwear with sturdy treads or shoes with cleats. However,
cleats should not be worn inside.
© 2004 The Etownian |
