Campus maintenance struggles with winter

Online Poster

Online Poster

By Kalyn Cooper

Due to harsh winter weather and rapidly changing seasons in the Midwest, University maintenance services may have more work than they can handle, according to several maintenance directors.

The campus facilities and services department is responsible for maintenance of campus roads, sidewalks and pathways, said Carl Wegel, director of maintenance services. He said the department clears campus streets until they are passable and tries to pre-salt at critical intersections.

“In all but the most extreme circumstances, we should get everything done within two days,” Wegel said. “We will stick with the job until it’s done.”

Andi Kroeger, sophomore in LAS, said she thinks campus sidewalks are most hazardous early in the morning when students are walking to class.

“They should shovel and put salt out before 8 a.m. classes start, especially on the Quad,” Kroeger said. “It’s still really cold that early and it’s dangerous, not to mention really embarrassing if you fall.”

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Wegel said if a storm occurs on a weekend or over night, however, maintenance services are forced to call the staff at home.

“We try to rotate people on staff,” he said. “Most of our damage control is done at night when no one is scheduled to work.”

The maintenance department has more than 350 people on staff, Wegel said, but this number has been cut recently due to a decrease in funding. This is one reason it is hard to keep up with the weather, said Randy Kornegay, superintendent of building services.

“We are severely understaffed right now,” Kornegay said. “We have 50 less people now than we did three years ago, despite all the new buildings we are responsible for on campus.”

Building services is responsible for maintaining building interiors as well as keeping the outside walkways safe, Kornegay said. But he said the department may have to wait a number of days before finishing its job on the inside of the buildings – such as custodial services – if there is heavy snow.

The safety of maintenance workers is another issue Kornegay must consider during the winter months.

“These workers may be outside for an extended period of time in very bad weather,” he said. “We always make sure they are working in pairs with a two way radio. We also have a foreman to check on everyone.”

After snow melts, there are greater problems lying in potholes and damaged roadways, Wegel said. He said they have had sufficient road repair funding in the past, but their budget has decreased significantly.

In 2002, the department had $430,000 available for road repairs. This year, the department received only $82,000.

“Not only is that going to limit the road repairs we can do, but those funds are also for sidewalks, bike paths and tree replacements,” Wegel said.

Kroeger said funds should go to education first but still thinks student safety should be a main concern.

“I usually drive the same routes every day. If a pothole comes up out of nowhere, I won’t be expecting it,” Kroeger said. “Plus, they’re terrible for your car, so those repairs should be a priority. Who wants to go to school if it isn’t safe?”

Despite limited funding and being understaffed, Wegel said the department is doing the best it can to keep students safe and campus clean.

“We have very finite resources with unlimited weather possibilities,” Wegel said. “We always try to optimize services within our resources.”