It has always been our first and foremost priority to provide safe walking surfaces for the campus community.  Given the extremes of conditions in a Midwestern winter, and the large number of variables in conditions and forecasts, the decision making process can be complicated.  Last year in particular was exceptionally difficult, with a higher than usual incidence of rain/snow, followed by freezing rain and plummeting temperatures.  Bare pavement followed by freezing rain is by far the worst case scenario that we encounter.

Clean, dry pavement is always our end goal, and over the years we have worked to be as efficient as possible in achieving that goal.  This year we are experimenting with brine application on campus sidewalks, which should prove to be a useful tool in managing snow and ice.  We are hopeful that it will speed up application time and provide us a preferable option to granular salt when conditions allow.  It also has the benefit of being a bit more ecologically sound.  Regardless of what equipment and procedures we utilize, it still takes 5 employees several hours to cover the 16 miles of walks that connect our campus.

As we move into the winter season, we would encourage a cautious mindset and appropriate footwear.  We would also recommend a heightened awareness, not only of conditions, but also of the machines that are out clearing the walks.

Snow and Ice Procedures

As we have already had our first hit of the snow and ice season the Physical Plant would like to review the procedures for getting those work orders to us.  Please do not put those requests into School Dude.  Please call us at the Physical Plant at 556-3066 during our regular hours:  Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 4:30 pm.  After hours please call Campus Safety at 556-1111 for an emergency and they will contact someone from Physical Plant.