A smoother day:
The snow Tuesday and Wednesday didn’t have as negative an effect on campus as the previous storm this winter, partially because:
-The university was closely monitoring the weather as it developed
-Classes were canceled until noon Wednesday, allowing snow removal crews room and space to clear campus
-The university received 25 tons of salt Wednesday after a recent shortage
The advanced notice of Tuesday night’s snow gave the university and the hospital enough time to plan ahead and prevent a shutdown of services.
Tony Proudfoot, a university spokesperson, said the university was monitoring the weather last night and eventually decided to delay classes until noon Wednesday.
“We knew we wouldn’t be able to get campus cleared until around 10 or 11,” Proudfoot said. “We just determined the ground crews needed a little more time to get things cleared so people could get around campus safely.”
Kevin Kenyon, assistant vice president of facilities, said crews wouldn’t be able to get walkways and roads cleared away fast enough with students coming in to campus.
“A lot of snow came down all at one time,” Kenyon said. “It was just too close to our normal opening. We have a fixed amount of manpower and a fixed amount of equipment.”
The University Police Department was not involved in the decision to extend Wednesday’s delay, but does have the ability to make suggestions for delays or closings, if the conditions mean people are in danger, Police Chief Gene Burton said.
During Wednesday’s snow, university police responded to stranded motorists.
“The more bad weather there is, the more people in need of assistance, so there has been more [incidents with stranded motorists] this winter,” Burton said.
While the university made the decision to extend the delay an extra hour, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital was able to make accommodations for the snow. Neil Gifford, manager of public relations and marketing at the hospital, said staff and ambulance crews were able to prepare for potential problems and delays.
“Usually, in cases like this, we have employees with four-wheel drive who volunteer to bring in doctors, nurses and other staff,” Gifford said.
Advanced preparations played an important role in keeping campus travel safe, and an arrival of salt also helped the university prepare for the weather heading into Wednesday night.
Facilities received approximately 25 tons of salt Wednesday and Kenyon said they expect it to last through the weekend. He said the university can go through as much as 150 and 170 tons of salt per year.
“Right now we’re just focused on getting the snow removed,” Kenyon said. “Once we go through a freeze and frost cycle, it’s going to play a bigger role.”
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