Rock salt ruins shoes and is tracked up and down stairwells, but it also makes it possible for Ohio University students to get to class during Winter Quarter.
The small white rocks are easily noticeable on campus, but students rarely see them being applied, so students do not know where they come from or what it takes to melt the ice away from an entire college campus.
The university puts aside about $30,000 each year for salt from its General Fund, and the availability of the salt is guaranteed through a state contract, said John Biancamano, OU’s general counsel. The General Fund mainly comprises state appropriations and tuition dollars.
Employees are primarily concerned with the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks first because Athens is a college town, said Steve Mack, director of Facilities Management at OU.
“We always make a priority of taking care of the pedestrian sidewalks first, roadways second and parking lots last,” he said.
Snow and ice removal starts near residence halls and then moves to academic buildings, making students’ commutes easier, Mack said.
Parking lots are saved for last because it’s difficult to clear snow around vehicles.
“Although there hasn’t been a lot of snow yet this winter, after last weekend’s snow, I was impressed how easy the walk still was to class the next day,” said Ryan Clark, a freshman studying sport management.
The brick roads commonly found throughout campus are treated the same as any other street on campus.
“Any fresh or new concrete in the past year or two are the only areas we treat differently by using non-salt-based products on to de-ice,” Mack said.
Non-salt-based products help the roads withstand the freezing and thawing temperatures to prevent potholes and cracks.
About 23 employees keep OU’s campus and grounds in the best shape possible for a few million dollars each year, Mack said.
“We have the same employees year-round and take as much advantage as we can with our multi-purpose vehicles,” he said.
OU owns three dump trucks equipped to both plow roads and disperse salt, but the majority of grounds-care vehicles that function as mowers throughout the year have a dual-duty function to attach “brooms” to the front for snow removal.
The university primarily lays salt on the greens and university buildings, leaving Richland Avenue, Shafer Street and other non-university properties to the city.
“If it’s part of our tuition anyway, I’m just happy I can notice that the money is benefitting us,” Clark said.
Because the General Fund money for salt comes from the money allocated to Facilities Management for the entire year, any money not used on salt each year is usually used for repairing other equipment.
Sometimes, however, extra funds are needed.
“We have exceeded our budget in winter over the years but have also been able to keep the sidewalks clean, which is most important,” Mack said.
Because bulk amounts of salt are purchased at once, there is a section allotted in a Facilities Management coal shed to store the salt.
“We don’t anticipate anything out of the ordinary this year, but either way, we’re ready,” Mack said.
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