Although it is hard to predict exactly what Jack Frost has in store for the Columbus area this year, Ohio State and city officials are ready for anything he decides to throw at them.
OSU and the city have been working together year round to devise a plan to deal with the impending winter climate.
At OSU, streets, walkways and parking lots are all areas that need to be snow-free for pedestrians and drivers. The Department of Transportation and Parking clears the parking lots, while Physical Facilities handles the roads and sidewalks. Custodians round out the team, clearing the entrances to all the buildings.
Last winter, which was one of the worst in recent years, OSU spent about $38,000 on salt.
“We initially have approximately 600 tons of salt on hand,” said Kenneth Moncayo, assistant vice president of operations at Physical Facilities. “All of your equipment is ready, and we have also added three salt brine units.”
The department employs 60 people to handle roads and grounds, 52 to 55 of which will work on snow removal after a big storm. The other employees are mechanics who work to make sure all the equipment is running properly.
Transportation and Parking provides the salt for the rest of the university but it does have 10 trucks of its own to help clear roads.
A typical day for the employees starts at 9 p.m. and continues throughout the night as they try to clear as many of the parking lots as possible.
“Our goal is to get all the parking lots cleared by morning. However, depending on when it stops snowing and the traffic, that can be hit and miss sometimes,” said Doug Fries, maintenance superintendent.
Transportation and Parking sends the plows out if there is three or more inches of snow on the ground. They start with the parking lots that are empty -usually the West Campus lots – because those are easier and quicker to plow.
The city’s plans for winter weather is a continuing cycle, said Mary Webster, the assistant public-service director for the city.
“We divide the city into districts. The route maps have to be updated constantly, because new streets are always being added. The snow warriors have already been out doing just that,” Webster said.
There are 30,000 tons of salt on reserve, and while that might sound like a lot, it doesn’t go far, Webster said.
“Last year we had 50.6 inches of snowfall, where the average is only 23.5 inches. The city spent $2,073,736 on salt and $3.8 million overall. We used 53,933 tons of salt,” she said.
In order to avoid the cost of additional help, city employees from other departments volunteer to go through training and certification in case they are needed.
The city is sure these precautions will help make the winter more tolerable for residents.
“We just purchased $600,000 worth of salt to top off all the barns,” Webster said. “We also have better coordination with the schools and COTA. The city is well prepared for the upcoming winter.”
