USU snow removals bring in workers
During Logan’s cold winter months, keeping Utah State University’s busy campus sidewalks shoveled requires more effort than some students may think.
USU has multiple snow-removal crews that use an average of 500 pounds of ice-melt per storm, said Jim Huppi, USU campus landscape architect/manager.
Three snow-removal crews, consisting of two to three members each, maintain campus sidewalks, ramps and stairs, Huppi said. If a storm takes place in the evening, he said, campus security will notify Kim Cronquist, the senior coordinator of landscape operation, at 3 a.m., and his crew will be up to campus by 4 a.m.
“There’s a lot of different people working at different times for this job,” Huppi said.
Using five pieces of mechanized equipment, two small mules and a number of shovels, crews work to clear and de-ice high-traffic sidewalks like the ones on Champ Drive and the Old Main steps. If snow is fresh and hasn’t been walked on, Huppi said an area like the Old Main stairs can be cleared in one hour.
After a lot of foot traffic, however, the snow turns into ice and approximately 200 pounds of ice melt needs to be spread before crews can begin chipping away at the ice.
Aside from using 500 pounds of ice melt for the campus sidewalks, the storm crew will use 300 gallons of magnesium chloride on the parking lots.
After the third major storm last year, there was so much snow and ice, he said it took a crew five hours to clear the Old Main steps.
Huppi said snow-removal gets complicated when students are not cautious of the machines and crew members. Plow drivers can’t always see students behind them, so it’s the student’s responsibility to be aware of the caution lights and to give the crews as much room as they can.
“We’ve noticed this year there are students that are awfully brave,” Huppi said.
When there’s no snow to be shoveled, the crews prune trees, plan projects for the spring and summer and attend training meetings, he said.
“We’re trying to be more efficient,” he said.
One problem the snow-removal crews would like to see remedied is the trend of winter sports participants building ramps and jumps on the sidewalk and stairs on Old Main Hill, Huppi said.
The sidewalks are not there for winter sport enjoyment, he said, and such practices endanger the public, which is something ramp builders can be cited for.
Falling is common among crew members, sometimes resulting in knee injuries and twisted ankles, Huppi said. If students notice icy areas on sidewalks or parking lots, they should call Facilities at 797-1947.
mof@cc.usu.edu