FMD tackles wintery challenges Workers endure 2 a.m. start to clear snowy paths

Author: Erin McCormick

With the seemingly constant winter precipitation since the beginning of second semester coupled with the blizzard on Feb. 17, the Facilities Maintenance Department (FMD) has been faced with the task of snow removal and the de-icing of campus.

Although this winter has been fairly average, according to Assistant Director of the Facilities Management Department Luther Tenny, the department still has been forced to combat many "three inch category storms," using 14 tractors with snowplows and roughly 25 to 30 workers to shovel snow by hand.

Depending on the severity of the storm, the approximately 40 members of FMD start the snow removal process as early as 2 a.m., as was the case with the storm on Feb. 17. For that specific storm, the worst of the year so far according to Tenny, workers began the plowing efforts at 2 a.m. and the hand shovelers joined them around 6 a.m., an hour and a half earlier than the usual workday begins.

Typical routes for the workers last approximately three or four hours. Some storms, however, require two routes.

"We try to keep up on the snow as best as we can, and sometimes this involves going out twice," commented Tenny. Even with double routes, not many workers have gone into overtime. "If they come in early, they get to leave early. Their schedules must be flexible," he added.

Another aspect of the snow removal process that challenges FMD is the fact that Middlebury, being an environmentally aware campus, restricts sidewalk salt usage. Tenny said, "We have to balance ourselves with the environment. In order to cater to students and faculty, we limit salt usage to be environmentally sensitive, which is a bit of a disadvantage for us."

The sand that is put down on walkways is, however, a mixture which contains approximately 10 percent salt. Thus far this winter, approximately three to four hundred cubic yards of salt have been used.

"If we were able to use salt, we would have cleaner sidewalks, but then we would have too much salt on campus. Too much salt wouldn't necessarily hurt the environment, because it can be diluted, but it still isn't environmentally friendly," explained Tenny.

The town of Middlebury uses more salt than the College, so walkways in town are generally in better condition.

According to Tenny, FMD is looking into other deicing products such as liquid ice dilutors which have been used in the past. These products, however, tend to bring grime and dirt into campus buildings. Because of this, it is not currently in use, although other products are being explored for the next winter season.