Don’t slip
Have you slipped on campus lately? Have you used your ice-skates on the career center parking lot? If the answer to either of those questions is yes then chances are it’s snowed recently.
This archived article was written by: Mike Overson
Have you slipped on campus lately? Have you used your ice-skates on the career center parking lot? If the answer to either of those questions is yes then chances are it’s snowed recently.
Facilities Manager Sheila Burghardt who is in charge of grounds’ maintenance, outlined the procedures for cleanup once the snow has fallen. First things first, CEU is not responsible for the work being done. CEU contracted maintenance services with DFCM (Division of Facilities and Construction Management) because they have more resources at a state level. So if you are going to curse someone, curse them. Burghardt assured me that once a problem is reported something will be done to rectify the situation.
“I would rather have six people tell me there is a problem on campus than have to hear about it in passing. At least then I would know and could fix the problem,” reported Burghardt.
Top priority is the pedestrian walkways around campus. Second is handicap parking stalls around campus and lastly parking lots. The reason for this hierarchy is simple; students and faculty alike are first concern. Parking lots are the demons of ice and snow when it does storm here in Price. Once a car has driven on snow it is significantly harder to remove that snow then had it been fresh and untouched, she said.
The climate in Price is unique because of the thawing and freezing that occurs here. During the day, temperatures rise enough to melt some snow and ice but later in the day, everything freezes solid. Not much can be done about this so it is a never-ending battle that must be fought. Some measures that are being taken to stem the accidents are the snow melt and sand that are being spread around walkways and parking lots.
According to Burghardt the worst place on campus for ice is the parking lot outside of the career center. Even from the design stages of that project, those in charge knew it would be a problem, but a better solution would have been more expensive.
To report a problem with snow, or anything else concerning facilities maintenance please contact Sheila Burghardt 613-5550 or the representative for DFCM Elizabeth Adams 613-5214.
