The snow from the unexpected blizzard in late January may be gone, but it has left a lasting impact on the University's wallet.
Joe Jackson, assistant director of Facilities Management, said the snow removal process has cost the University more than $80,000. "The cost [reflects] that... this [storm] was going to be something that we couldn't anticipate," said Jackson, who oversees the grounds and sanitation departments.
A relatively small portion of the University grounds budget is dedicated to cleaning up after blizzards. "We have a $15,000 provision for snowfall," said Regis Koslofsky, director of facilities administration in Facilities Management. If there is no snow over the course of the winter, the money is usually put towards landscaping projects, as has been the case over the past three to four years, he said.
The grounds department keeps a stock supply of salt and sand, and Duke is also on the list of organizations that receive emergency shipments.
Jackson said that sand is used on surfaces that are covered with slick ice or freezing rain. Salt is applied to surfaces when the temperature is still below freezing, but only when the temperature is expected to rise above freezing so the ice will be able to melt. On walkways and other areas that witness heavy traffic, Duke uses a commercially available chemical called "ice melt."
For larger surfaces, the University has one plow. In addition, it used every piece of grounds equipment that can be attached to a snow removal apparatus. Also, Jackson laughed, "We used lots of shovels."
In the event that severe weather is predicted, many personnel are on call, and first-line employees are often called in before the weather turns bad. Facilities Management also has a list of preferred contractors that are used on a supplementary basis. Once snow comes, the contractors are notified by phone, and go to work provided they are able to make it in.
Several weeks ago, Facilities Management began reviewing the University's performance during the storm. The main goal of the process is to think through what was done and ascertain what could have been done better. Much of this process focuses on the review of snow removal and the equipment used.
"We do a pretty heads-up evaluation," Koslofsky said. "I would use [the storm] as a real-time experience to adjust the budget, and the entire process [in general]."
Dining Services also faced its own unique challenges during the storm, and in the estimation of director Jim Wulforst, the department met those challenges with considerable success. "There was a very significant effort.... We never missed a beat with East Campus or West Campus... [and] we made the effort to pick employees up," said Wulforst.
Privatized eateries were also open to serve students. Armadillo Grill was open from Tuesday night onward, and Alpine Bagels was open every day.
The motivation for Dining Services employees, said Wulforst, was their desire to help students. "We really felt like we were appreciated by the student body," he said.
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