Snow, Ice Removal No Worse Than Usual

Author: Caroline Stauffer

While this winter may seem unnecessarily harsh to students who have been living in Middlebury for four years, Assistant Director for Maintenance and Operations Norm Cushman sheds a different light on this winter's severity.
While this year has undoubtedly been colder than previous years, there has not been an abnormal amount of snow, Cushman said.
"In terms of the recent past, it [this winter] has been worse than normal. In the longer view of winters, this has been a pretty easy winter for us," Cushman said.
Cushman also pointed out that Middlebury College has been blessed with reasonably mild winters in the past few years, making this winter seem more severe. Mild winter or not, snow maintenance is definitely something the College is used to dealing with at least five months out of every year.
The Landscape Department has the primary responsibility of clearing snow and ice on campus, but several members of the Facilities Management Department are also involved. All together, approximately 40 individuals work to keep paths clear after every snowstorm.
To remove snow, the College primarily uses its own equipment, although some equipment is contracted out from local companies, according to Cushman.
When March arrives, snow begins to melt, but temperatures dip below freezing again at night. The campus wakes up to a field of ice, making walking to class a dangerous endeavor.
On top of massive snow removal, the Landscape Department also has to deal with ice removal.
Because of the environmental consciousness of the campus, the Landscape and Facilities Management departments limit the use of salt and other products. "We are quite sparse with our application of chemical products," Cushman said.
Rock salt is used, however, at intersections and anywhere vehicles are pulling up to stop.
Stewart Hall is the only other place rock salt is used hopefully, limiting the number of people who lose control and fall walking to McCullough social space.
Calcium chloride is used to melt ice surrounding sidewalks and entryways into buildings. Since chemicals are limited, the material of choice to lessen the effects of the ice on campus is sand.