Erin Droste

Adam Peterson, a general maintenance and repair technician at the University of Kansas, works to clear the snow across from Strong Hall yesterday afternoon. Peterson and other employees shoveled the snow from stairs and handicap areas in the midst of the snow storm.

When snow piles up at the University of Kansas, so do the costs.

Snowfall like yesterday costs the University about $20,000, said Doug Riat, director of Facilities Operations.

Included in the costs are labor, equipment, fuel and chemicals used to help melt the snow, he said. The actual amount of snowfall determines the amount of money the University can spend in removal, he said. Heavy snowfall can cost the University up to two or three times the average cost of $20,000.

“Every event is different,” Riat said. “It really depends on a lot of things like how much it snows and whether or not it freezes.”

Between 100 and 150 Facilities Operations staff clean steps, sidewalks and other areas trucks cannot easily reach. Crews actually started early yesterday, not waiting for the normal starting point when an inch of snowfall had accumulated, he said.

When snowfall reaches 6 inches or more, crews may spend more than 24 hours physically removing the snow. The costs for removal also increase.

Campus parking lots are the most difficult places to clean up, especially when everyone is still on campus, said Donna Hultine, director of the Parking Department.

Facilities Operations usually waits until 3 or more inches of snow layers the parking lots before they send crews to clean it up, Riat said.

Hultine said that crews were quick about cleaning up the snow on campus yesterday.

“It was definitely a relief on campus,” she said. “KU is pretty responsive to getting stuff done.”

Parking on Jayhawk Boulevard and Memorial Drive was closed yesterday so that the snow could be quickly removed, Hultine said.

As of 8 p.m. last night, 4 inches of snow covered the ground in Lawrence, according to the National Weather Service. Both Riat and Hultine said they expected maintenance crews to work through the night to remove snow by this morning.