Cleaning up a snowy mess

Snow is coming — 12 to 16 inches of it will fall today and Friday, if the National Weather Service predictions hold. But if everything goes to plan, the 12 miles of roads, 50 miles of walkways and more than 2,500 steps stretching across campus will remain clear.

To find out what this will take, the Daily Princetonian takes a look back at the University’s handling of the storm that shut down campus.

On Feb. 10, while students celebrated the snow day by constructing igloos, building snowmen and sledding on trays, the University’s snow-clearing operation was running at full-throttle.

Before the first snowflake fell, members of the Grounds and Building Maintenance Department, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Building Services, and other departments met to devise a plan to fight back against the impending Nor’easter and take steps to speed up the imminenent snow-clearing.

Maintenance crews pre-treated roads with a saltwater solution. As the snowfall increased, 55 maintenance employees, 15-20 contractors and multiple support staff from Athletics, Building Services and the Housing Department used trucks, backhoes, loaders, sanders and shovels to battle snow accumulation.

With the snow falling, the crews settled into their routine. University spokeswoman Emily Aronson explained in an e-mail that snow-clearing operations can usually be completed in six hours, with crews working simultaneously to ensure that no part of campus is inaccessible.

After the blizzard, crews applied sand and other materials to walkways to limit ice, Aronson said. Trucks hauled snow away from parking lots and intersections to other areas on University property.

But in spite of the University’s efforts, several students said that slick pathways made for dangerous walking conditions.

“I was kind of surprised how long the sidewalks were icy for. It seemed kind of dangerous,” Amanda Coston ’13 said in an e-mail.

Jared Griffin ’13 also expressed safety concerns.

“I saw one girl slip and fall around the steps near Firestone,” he said. “It was hard to tell that there was slick ice underneath the thin layer of snow.”

Aronson noted that, while there has been a “handful” of reported slips and falls due to the snow, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety has received fewer reports than in previous years.

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Aronson attributed the drop in such reports to an improved snow management strategy.

“We now have better weather-forecasting systems available, which allow staff to better prepare to manage the snow,” she explained.

The University’s efforts — when successful — don’t go unnoticed. “Slushing through the snow and slipping on ice really sucks,” Anna Jang ’13 said, “but when the path is clear, I feel really grateful.”

In an effort to manage a potentially dangerous situation, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety’s website offers a page with tips on how to avoid slipping on ice and snow. The website for the Facilities Service Center also allows community members to report dangerous areas on campus.

Despite these measures, it is unclear how many students know about these services. Griffin said she had “no clue” about the University’s reporting system.

With fresh mounds of snow on its way, students remained confused about another safety measure — the University’s ban on building igloos.

On Feb. 11, the day after the major storm, Lisa DePaul, associate director for student housing sent an e-mail to undergraduates that told students to “refrain from building any snow enclosures on campus.” The University’s official policy states that igloos and other enclosed structures on dormitory grounds are prohibited without written permission from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and the Housing Department.

The policy “addresses safety concerns with igloos potentially collapsing or being plowed over,” Aronson explained. The policy also aims to prevent the construction of igloos in areas that hinder the University’s snow removal operations.

Coston, like several other students, questioned the need for a ban.

“I don’t really understand what the problem is with building [igloos] if people don’t jump on them or anything,” she said.

But with another storm around the corner, Coston said that she is more concerned with her ability to traverse campus than to build snow houses.

“Walking around campus [after the storm] was really stressful,” she said.