University addresses snow removal issues

Following is a letter from Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities, regarding the university’s work on snow removal around campus.

“We share your concerns about snow on campus this winter.

“Because Madison has received snow 39 of the last 69 days, snow removal continues to be a significant challenge.

“Our goal is to keep all walking areas clear and slip-free. Unfortunately, given our level of resources and the record-setting amount of snowfall this winter, that is not always achievable. We know that our efforts to manage snow removal have left all of us frustrated and inconvenienced at times this winter.

“In April, after the snow stops flying (hopefully), and before the issues and concerns of our customers are forgotten, we plan to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our snow-removal plan with many of our stakeholders. We will include your perspective in our evaluation. We look forward to constructive community participation as we evaluate our snow-removal practices and plan for the future.

“It may help to know a little bit about our snow-removal procedures and the challenges we face as the snow continues to fly.

“Our snow-removal policy is to first clean the 50 miles of sidewalks, 12 miles of roads and the 90 parking lots on campus. Grounds staff are also responsible for clearing bike paths and loading docks. It has been our practice to give priority to clearing the sidewalks, while concurrently dispatching equipment to primary roadways, the hospital entrances, bus stops and food-service loading docks.

“During a major snowstorm, each grounds employee is assigned a piece of snow removal equipment, which they operate from eight to 16 hours at a time. Since December, grounds personnel have logged 2,579 hours of overtime for snowstorms.

“For efficiency and safety, most of this work occurs at night when the fewest vehicles and people are on campus. In the evening, our custodial staff shovels building access routes, along with performing normally assigned cleaning duties.

“During the day, custodial and grounds staff begin hand-shoveling the countless steps, curb cuts and bus shelters at 7 a.m. To limit congestion and assure student safety, much of the snow-removal work is interrupted during each class break. We also contract for removal of snow from 10 surface lots and six parking ramps. The cost for this service from Dec. 1–22 alone was $251,099.

“Budget cuts in the last 15 years have resulted in a 32 percent reduction in full-time equivalent grounds staff, from 41 to 28. Compounding the problem, December found grounds with staff shortages due to illness (including shoveling injuries) and position vacancies.

“Our second- and third-shift custodial staff are similarly taxed. The night of Feb. 5, on average 40 percent of our custodial staff could not report to work because of the inclement weather conditions.

“Pedestrian safety is our highest concern; however, since each motorist becomes a pedestrian once they exit their vehicle, we must focus on clearing parking lots as well as sidewalks.

“Our current practices result from years of experience managing on-campus snow removal. New technologies, equipment and practices are constantly being reviewed as we focus on safety and remain committed to responsible environmental practices.

“For individuals with disability or accessibility issues, visit http://www.wisc.edu/adac/physical/snorem.html.

“We have all been beleaguered by this Wisconsin winter. But we continue to work hard with the resources at our disposal to keep this a safe and pedestrian-friendly campus. We welcome your comments for change and improvement at snow@fpm.wisc.edu.”