When snow falls, University of Idaho staff work through the night to keep campus safe for students and faculty, allowing university operations to go on as usual.
Facilities Services is responsible for plowing streets, entryways, sidewalks and most parking lots — getting to work as early as 2 a.m. after snowfall.
Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) removes snow from residential parking lots — green, purple and silver lots — throughout the day as resources allow. Charles Zillinger, director of Landscape and Exterior Services, said that 25 to 26 employees work on snow removal. Facilities Services has seven larger plows and a large front-end loader. Both Facilities and PTS utilize around five smaller plows.
“Big plows come in and start with the streets, and small plows then come in at 3 a.m. to start doing the sidewalks. Then the scoopers
come in and do the entries and stairs, and all those things,” Zillinger said.
Rebecca Couch, director of PTS said her staff members start working around 5 to 6 a.m. on residential parking lots. As spaces empty out throughout the day, smaller plows can work to remove the snow.
Landscape and Exterior Services prioritizes plowing streets, commuter parking lots and then sidewalks. Commuter parking lots are prioritized above residential parking because commuters need access to parking early in the morning, and residential parking has less activity, Zillinger said.
“We try to do what will have the most impact for the most people that are traveling,” Zillinger said. “So, if you have a sidewalk that handles 10,000 students a day and one that handles 2,000 students a day, the 10,000 one gets plowed first because it gets the most traffic.”
Zillinger said staff can handle two inches of snow and be ready by 8 a.m. UI campus closes when the snow can’t be safely plowed by the 8 a.m. benchmark for a variety of reasons.
“It’s not so much the snow amount, it’s how much snow and wind you’re getting at the same time,” Zillinger
said. “When you get more than four inches on the ground it takes double the time to clear everything on campus, and that’s really the key. Can we open campus safely by eight? If we can’t do that then we call it in, and it’s a presidential decision to close campus.”
Other factors influence if snow can be removed on time. Equipment maintenance and mechanical issues frequently arise.
Snow equipment has the “hardest use,” Zillinger said. Due to budget cuts, Facilities’ staff doesn’t have separate teams to relieve them if it continually snows, and they serve as their own mechanics when plows break down.
Zillinger and Couch said students and faculty can help LES and PTS by being prepared for the winter season, by slowing down, having snow tires and being safe.
“You have got to have the right equipment and call us for assistance,” Couch said. “We’re here to help.”
Facilities service staff members denied to comment.
Mariah Wood can be reached at [email protected]