Wednesday, February 2, 2011
While most students camped out in their beds the last two nights, watching a movie, sipping on hot chocolate and putting off homework for one more night, the situation was not so pleasant for others. Gary Baker was huddled in the back seat of a truck with only snow shovels and salt bags to keep him company.
Baker, a 27-year employee with the Facilities Operations Department, lives about 10 miles south of town and didn’t want to brave the treacherous roads to make it home. Besides, with his shift starting at 5:30 a.m., he said spending the night was just easier.
“I’ve had to work 12 to 15 hour days because of the snow so I knew I had to make sure I could be here early,” Baker said.
The other 30 employees with the landscaping division of Facilities Operations fell under the same expectations. Grounds maintenance is their responsibility. Thane Haug, a 10-year employee with the department, was part of a three-man crew in charge of shoveling Jayhawk Boulevard. Haug didn’t know when he would get off Tuesday, but said his shift wouldn’t end until the campus was ready for students to come back.
“Handicap ramps and stairs are the main concerns,” Haug said. “The first day there wasn’t a lot we could do — try to treat the icy areas — but after the snow started all we could do was wait to start plowing.”
Andy Peterson, one of the employees driving the plow, worked all day Tuesday and Wednesday clearing streets and sidewalks but said there will still be some slick spots today.
“I’ve been here for 16 years and this is the worst storm I’ve ever pushed,” Peterson said. “We’re getting there, but the roads were pretty crappy in some places and the parking lots still need work.”
With that in mind, Trey Walts, a Facilities Operations employee from Ottawa, had some tips to offer students coming back to campus.
“It’s going to be really slick in areas,” Walts said. “If students fall a lot of times it’s because they had their hands in their pockets or they tried to jump over the plow mounds along the curbs instead of using the crosswalk. I would say just try to have your hands free and take extra time.”
— Edited by Danielle Packer
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Facilities Operations working long hours to combat the snow
Their hard work is very much appreciated. Thanks, ladies and gents. :)
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