BY HADLEY THOMPSON, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Snow covers the ground at St. Bonaventure University. In a community still reeling from the effects of the snowstorm two weeks ago, a new system has laid fresh powder on campus.
Erica Marshall, a sophomore public health major at St. Bonaventure University, had trouble maneuvering her car after the heavy snowfall on Jan. 25.
“I thought I saw an empty spot that just wasn’t plowed,” said Marshall.
Marshall tried to park in a no-parking zone in the back of the fourth row in the west parking lot that has a small hill for a drain.
“My car nose dove into the divot for the water drain. I called a friend and we had to push and almost lift my car,” Marshall said. “I was 15 minutes late to class.”
Liz Tillman, an associate professor of political science at St. Bonaventure University has a commute of an hour and twenty minutes from Amherst to Bonaventure.
“With the snow, give or take 5 to 10 minutes added onto my drive, it all depends on how well plowed the roads are.” Tillman said.
Tillman did not have any troubles with on-campus snow or parking.
“I come in right after they plow in the morning, and it is always well salted too,” said Tillman.
Although Tillman has been lucky with all the snow, she is taking precautions for Thursday’s storm.
“I am planning on doing Zoom if I cannot physically get down to campus. I warned students that there could be a potential change in the schedule due to the snow,” Tillman said.
St. Bonaventure’s Facilities team is working hard to get the snow out of our way.
Jared Smith, the director of Facilities, explained the priorities of removing the snow.
“Roads and sidewalks are priority first. Then parking lots and the west side (because of academics) before the vehicles start arriving. The east side townhouses are usually done later once students start leaving to go to classes,” said Smith.
Many of the cars in the east parking lots stay in their parking spots for days or weeks at a time. This is why removing the snow from the east side is more difficult.
“That is why academic parking lots on the west side are done early before they are filled up with cars, and then the east side when some vehicles leave…we also have an obligation to make sure commuting students can get to campus and park,” Smith said.
The Facilities team at St. Bonaventure has dedicated snow removal machines. There are two Bobcat-brand snow loaders with the option for a plow or a large brush accompanied by a salt spreader for the sidewalks. There are also three pickup trucks used for plowing and a backhoe, an excavating machine, with a snow pusher that can plow very large areas or relocate large piles of snow.
“As far as shoveling, we have as many as 30 or more people at a time that shovel when we receive significant amounts of snow…the townhouses are where it is difficult to get machines around the cars and sidewalks,” said Smith.
An example of their efforts can be tied back to Jan. 18 when the campus had a large amount of snowfall consecutively.
“We had over 20 people removing snow; plowing, shoveling, using snow blowers, just on the east side by Phase one and Phase two townhouses,” Smith said.
The main part of campus is over 300 acres with more than 40 buildings.
Smith suggests, “Pay attention to the weather warnings and Notice Board emails and if we do get a major snowstorm then limit travel the best you can.”
trompshp20@bonaventure.edu
