Plowing ahead for winter's reception

"It's up to Mother Nature," says Jim Galbraith, Western's Manger of Grounds Maintenance and Waste Management. "She's the one who sets our schedule."

Scheduling can be a daunting exercise. With the unpredictability of winter, Galbraith prepares for a worst cast scenario requiring a full complement of staff and equipment on standby at all times. In all, there can be 30 people ready to go on a moment's notice.

Galbraith says plowing must begin as close to midnight as possible to assure clear roadways, sidewalks and parking lots by 7 a.m., when traffic begins to arrive on campus.

That lead time is required because the Western campus is similar in size to the City of Stratford (pop. 28,000).

"We have about 16 kilometres of roadway, 20 kilometres of sidewalks, 1,500 steps and close to 25 parking lots with around 6,500 spots to take care of, on and off campus."

Mid-day snowfalls just add to the headaches.

"Imagine trying to plow a sidewalk with 20,000 students changing classes or plow and salt roads that are bumper-to-bumper with vehicles leaving at the end of the day."

The winter arsenal includes five pick-ups, two sidewalk plows, two dump truck plows and two front-end loaders. Preparation began in October to ensure everything was set up and working should Mother Nature throw a surprise.

The first significant snowfall usually occurs in mid- to late November. Last year, beginning in January and lasting just over four weeks, someone was plowing almost around the clock on campus.

"You just never know when and for how long you're going to have to be out there," says Galbraith, adding he hopes the Western community will be patient about snow removal.

"Our guys are working long hours to ensure campus is cleared, often past their scheduled hours," says Galbraith. "There were guys plowing last year on Christmas Day."

If a heavy snowfall begins in the early hours of the morning, all the lots may not be cleared by the start of the school day. Galbraith says last year there were two mornings when London received about 30 cm of snow between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

In such cases, he asks the public to listen to local radio stations, be patient and understand the difficulties the entire area, not just Western, is dealing with.

To help reduce the areas needed to be shoveled and salted, some walkways and steps will be closed for the winter season and clearly marked as such. The public is to avoid these areas.

"Winter can be a great season for some people and a nuisance for others, but regardless whether you're a skier or walking between classes, extra precaution must be taken," says Galbraith.