2008 Woodie Awards
Overtime for snow removal crew piles up
Ali Carlson
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Feature
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With snow fall totals and hours of overtime on the rise, snow removal the Kirkwood Community College grounds and maintenance crew is ongoing.
Mike Martin, supervisor of grounds and maintenance, knows the ins and outs of snow removal. Having worked 10 years at Kirkwood he said he knows there is nothing easy about it.
Martin stated, "Mother nature is giving us no reprieve. We are getting hit hard." Martin said it has been common talk among the snow removal crew that this has been the worst winter they have seen in several years.
When Kirkwood cancels school all college centers are closed. Martin said all the centers have to be checked and cleared of snow for employees and students. He added that is all about communication to know what has been done and the condition of each center.
Crews have been working since November to keep the campus clear of ice and snow. The problem of space has concerned members of the grounds crew.
"There is no place to put the snow. I hate putting the snow in the parking spots," said Dave Secor, mechanical technician.
Martin said snow removal this winter has been difficult. "I have learned to read the weather maps to see what is going on and what is to come," said Martin.
Martin added that watching the radar and listening to the weather reports is an important step for all who assist in the snow removal process.
"The communication among our staff is incredible," stated Martin. He said they use a computer program called R25 which is designed to track the location of multiple crew members.
Martin said the grounds crew concentrate on clearing snow not only for students but for those who work at RuffaloCODY, KCCK and even those that come in to feed the animals.
Drifting is a major problem at Kirkwood. Many times it causes "whiteouts" and makes the process of snow removal a more difficult and longer process said Martin. Drifting causes for more repetition than usual and the crew has to make sure that access can be made to and through Kirkwood at all times.
"The crew starts with the main roads to Kirkwood and throughout campus but the cleaning of campus is the hardest part with obstructions and the repetitions that are unavoidable" Martin said.
"With the new codes for buildings, we are required to have a certain number of islands or trees in the area. This hurts us during the winter with snow removal. It makes it much harder," stated Chris Croy, construction manager at Kirkwood.
The truck that Croy drove during snow removal on Sunday, Feb. 17 was a Ford F250 that Kirkwood purchased a couple years ago. The mileage count was over 17,000 and Croy said most of the miles were from plowing snow on the Kirkwood campus.
This year Croy said his plow has been welded together three times. Croy stated, "This winter has been rough on the equipment."
The equipment for the "basic crew" is made up of four Ford 4X4 trucks, large plows, old Iowa D.O.T. trucks, bobcats, a John Deere 1445 with broom attachment, and an end loader. Individuals are assigned to each truck or piece of machinery.
A day of snow is a 24-hour operation and can even take days to remove it all from campus areas.
"We just need to get it done but we need to get it done safely," said Martin.
"The students are our responsibility here at Kirkwood. We want to make it safe for them to attend Kirkwood during the winter season," he also added.
Not only is drifting a problem at Kirkwood for the snow removal process but so is the control of moisture. Many of the drains at Kirkwood are plugged and it causes moisture build up around the drains and under the snow.
Members of the crew have opened the drains so that moisture can be released from the surfaces. Sometimes it takes more than a piece of large machinery to open the drain.
"We sometimes have to take a shovel in order to open it up," stated Croy.
"We have to look at Kirkwood as a whole and view the campus to see what needs to be done and when," said Martin.
Most of the individuals that help with the snow removal process have other jobs that also effect when they can come in or if they can come in. Individuals who help remove snow from campus have been trained to do more than use a shovel. They can also operate the bobcat, Ford 4x4 plows and other equipment owned by Kirkwood. The call list starts with the equipment operator and ends when help is received from the third shift workers.
A day of snow is a 24-hour operation and can even take days to remove it all from campus areas. "We just need to get it done but we need to get it done safely," said Martin.
The process of snow removal is all about the repetition. When Dave Secor drove the previously owned Iowa D.O.T. truck on Feb. 17 he made circular paths because otherwise the snow would have been too difficult move. Secor reported that in the past few years Kirkwood has only had to remove snow two or three times during the winter months.
Secor said, "I rush through the first time and come back and get the small stuff later." This not only makes it easier on the plow but on the person plowing, he said.
Martin along with other members of the snow removal crew said that they bring a pillow and a change of clothes with them to Kirkwood so that they can stay overnight if they needed to.
The amount of sand and salt is on limited supply according to Martin. Many of the counties and other snow removal crews in the area have no material to work with. "We have to work with what we have," said Martin.
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