Ten inches of snow, eight hours until Monday classes start, and only six men to make it all possible. As the snow continues to fall in the frigid Cleveland area, the John Carroll University facilities department’s grounds crew is constantly at work making sure the sidewalks and parking lots are clear for students and teachers.
On Feb. 5 of this year, Forbes.com published their list of “America’s Worst Winter Weather Cities.” The list was assembled based on data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. With almost 60 inches of annual snowfall, Cleveland was ranked as America’s worst winter city of the 50 largest cities in the U.S. Cleveland beat out Boston, New York and Milwaukee for the top spot.
Pittsburgh, not usually considered as snowy as Cleveland actually has a record 23 inches of snow, which closed a number of universities last week. Among these colleges were Pitt, Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon University.
Evan Bellan, a freshman from Pittsburgh said, “My friend who goes to [California University of Pennsylvania] got sent home for the week.”
JCU hasn’t cancelled classes yet.
Despite the recent snowfall, University Heights has had a relatively normal winter season. Last week, over 10 inches of snow dropped on University Heights. But, the JCU maintenance staff was quick to respond, and no classes or campus activities were postponed or canceled.
Sophomore Megan Hamlin said, “The slush is annoying, but I think they did a pretty good job clearing it.”
Like many students, she said that the snowfall has not stopped her from going to class.
The professors are also appreciative of the grounds crew. Andrew Morse, director of the JCU writing center, is thrilled with their work.
“I think our grounds staff does an excellent job,” he said. “Most universities don’t close sidewalks. I haven’t seen these precautions taken anywhere.”
When safety is a concern, he added, the JCU crew does a great job making sure the walking areas are clear of slippery slush and snow.
Robert Kolesar, a professor in the history department, said, “I’m from New England … we have real snow.”
But even this New England native agrees that the maintenance staff is keeping up with the weather.
The grounds crew consists of Tim Tomba, Kelli Egan, Chris Kane, Rick Zager and Terry Juist, under the direction of Ken Majewski. At their daily lunchtime card game, they were happy to answer a few questions about what they do.
“It’s like a miracle—six guys doing the work of many,” Kane said. “It’s unbelievable what we get done.”
More surprising than only six people working on this amount of snow, is the fact they only use snow shovels and two snowplows to do the job.
Students may know that these six men are the ones responsible for clearing access to the buildings on campus. However, what most people don’t know is that they are also responsible for the winter maintenance of the Green Road Annex and half a dozen other off campus properties.
Looking out your dorm window at any time, you will probably see one of these men working to clear the stairs and walkways. Their hours depend on when the snow falls.
“Sometimes we start as early as 5 a.m. and work as late [as needed], whatever it takes,” Kane said. “Every snow is different.”
In addition to efficiency, the grounds crew manages to maintain a green standard for their work. They use rock salt for the parking lots and an environmentally friendly de-icer for the sidewalks. This approach to maintenance is also less expensive than other winter treatments. This is what the crew likes to call “saving the green by going green.”
Some bold students have braved the cold and taken advantage of the recent accumulation. The John Carroll rowing team had a snowball fight in place of a Saturday morning practice last weekend.
Bellan had an interesting encounter as well. He recalls walking into the fourth floor bathroom in Murphy Hall late one night to find a complete snowman in the shower. The resident assistants were quick to respond, and “Frosty” had to spend the night outside.
Vince Kopper, a friend of Bellan, also saw the snowman and was amused.
“It was just typical Murphy shenanigans,” he said.
Other students have also found ways to entertain themselves.
“I have four [cafeteria] trays and I want to use them like sleds,” said freshman Matt Tarchick.
Although it is not common for professors to cancel classes, make sure to check Blackboard and e-mail before heading to an 8 a.m. seminar.
“People’s safety justifies canceling a class,” said Morse. He notes that different people have different criteria, but safety is always the top priority.
Kolesar agrees. “I wouldn’t come in if I felt unsafe driving, but that’s pretty rare,” he said.
While there may be a sigh of relief as spring break approaches, Kane warns students and faculty that the wintry weather is sure to continue, proven by the record monthly snowfall in March 2008 of 30.5 inches recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
“We are not at the end yet,” he said.
