New England is no stranger to crazy winter storms with over a foot of snow. This past storm made for difficult snow removal across campus.
The Equinox feels it is important to mention that our grounds crew has been doing as much as they can given recent budget cuts. With fewer staff to plow the snow and clear walkways, it takes the grounds crew even longer to complete snow removal.
Students are often quick to place blame on those they believe are the reason for slushy and slippery parking lots. Much like many of our previous editorials, it all comes back to the almighty dollar and those in charge of funding decisions.
It is easy to point fingers when you may be unaware of the circumstances behind it.
Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to make snow disappear. We have to be realistic in our expectations of those who plow our campus, especially after two feet of snow.
Another factor in winter weather clean-up is the current salt shortage in New Hampshire.
“Public works departments and private contractors across New Hampshire are struggling with road salt shortages as supply issues continue in the state,” according to WMUR.
The lack of road salt and a sufficient number of grounds employees makes it difficult for everyone. Joe Britton, supervisor for grounds, mentioned the salt shortage and how it has affected him and his crew.
“We have cut back on our salt application because of that,” he said.
Britton said salt is not as effective on sidewalks when there are extremely cold temperatures, according to reporting from The Equinox.
Winter will always cause some kind of inconvenience, especially in the northeast. Regardless of whether you have lived in NH for 20 years or only five, it is likely you have complained about cleaning your car or shoveling walkways each year.
It is no doubt inconvenient to be given a day’s notice to clean off your car and move parking lots. That is one area we believe KSC could improve on. Students should be given more than a day to dig their vehicle out of the snow and then find another location to park.
If students are able to move their cars farther in advance, fewer cars would be left behind when the grounds crew goes to clear out Winchester Lot and Blake Lot. Overall, it would make the process easier on both the students’ end and the staff’s end.
According to Equinox reporting, Britton said he and his team never take maintenance requests as criticism, and we believe students should know the proper channels of communication when voicing their concerns about snow removal or any topic.
While campus safety offers shovels that students can pick up from the campus safety office on Wyman Way, walking across campus in freezing weather to then shovel out your car for 30 minutes is quite exhausting. A potential solution could be having shovels in each of the residential halls, allowing students to spend less time in the cold.
Overall, a little appreciation goes a long way. Especially when our grounds crew is up at four in the morning in below 20 degree Fahrenheit weather, clearing paths and doing their best to ensure our walk to class is safe.
The challenges we are facing continue to be a direct result of budget cuts and our lack of funding. But it is important to know we are all trying to make the most out of an unfortunate situation.
