Powdery white snow sprinkles from the clouds, following the trail the icy wind has created for it before it takes its place amongst the flakes collecting on the frozen ground. As winter hits its peak, Goshen College’s students walk to and from their classes, cold bursts of air burning their faces as they continue on toward their destinations.
There has not been a shortage of snow and ice this winter, and with it comes significant responsibility for the groundskeeping team on campus. In the event of snowfall or ice formation, the team prepares by shoveling walkways and spreading salt .With the many freezing days, it can prove to be difficult clearing the surrounding areas.
Brian Mast, director of Facilities, works to make sure the campus is fully prepared in the event of the weather affecting the college. Much goes into protocols, procedures and preparation for any anticipated weather warning received in the area.
Adam Knott, one of the three groundskeepers on campus, mentioned that, “As far as tough weather goes the year, we’ve just had to come in early or on weekends to make sure the sidewalks and doorways are cleared up … Working when it was below zero was rough, but it is a part of the job.”
Larry Lewallen, groundskeeper, echoed the hard parts of the job: “[The] toughest part is getting called at 4 or 5 in the morning to come in and move snow.” However, Lewallen said, “We have a good system that seems to work well, [with] communication and working as a team, all goes well.”
Though the main contributors to taking care of the college campus are those who work in groundskeeping, there are two other groups that help them. One of these is Terra Group, which takes care of the larger areas of space by plowing and salting parking lots. The other group is the campus’s custodians, who are responsible for salting their building entryways.
With last week’s ice storm, there was a certain level of preparation that needed to take place. Mast explained he and the team spread some salt for proper precaution for the storm later that night. Due to the increasingly slick sidewalks, though, he came back Wednesday night and Thursday morning to give another coating of salt to the walkways.
With the continuation of ice forming the following morning, more work that needed to be done. Mast commented that “the salt takes time to work, that was why we had the delay Thursday morning.”
Lewallen agreed with the sentiment of being prepared. “We make sure all the equipment is ready, form a game plan and proceed once the weather comes,” he said.
Knott said that one thing that makes the tough job worth doing is the appreciation from people on campus.
“I’ve had two people stop and thank me for my work and so did the staff at the Leaf Raker. It’s nice to feel appreciated for the work you do,” he said.
The Facilities staff said that their top priority is keeping students, staff and faculty safe. As winter weather continues, students should look for any alerts that may be through Omnilert or in an email from Facilities – which they cite as the best way to stay informed. Mast further mentioned that “they appreciate your patience,” also reminding students to use “utmost caution” in extreme weather events.
