A filled pothole in the parking lot behind Plassmann Hall
David Scibilia/ The Bona Venture
BY: TUCKER REILLY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Midway through March, winter weather at St. Bonaventure University marches on.
Jared Smith, the director of Facilities Operations at Bonaventure, explained how workers around campus prepare for inclement weather. He detailed the chain of information — from campus security to facilities — that can lead to updates on problems as they occur.
“If we know there’s a storm coming, what we do is pre-treat with salt ahead of time,” said Smith. “Security’s also here 24/7 — if they call overnight and say ‘it’s getting bad,’ we will make a determination whether to come in or not. Not at 2 a.m., because we’ll be coming in a few hours later; but around 6 p.m., we can stay later or come back in.”
The removal process begins early in the morning on the west side of campus, where large parking lots such as behind Plassmann Hall are empty. Equipped with pickup trucks, plow trucks, Bobcat machines and shovels for individual buildings, the workers progress down main roads and clear areas near dorm buildings. Each vehicle is specialized for an individual purpose: Bobcats focus on the sidewalks, large trucks sweep the roads and smaller plow trucks push as much snow out of parking lots as possible.
“On the east side of campus, it’s better for us to go to the townhouses and apartments once kids start going over to class, because the lots really open up,” said Smith. “The openness of the campus determines a lot about where we go.”
One problem that can occur after inclement weather is damage to roads, especially in the form of potholes. Lukas Marcin, a senior education and history double major, described the issues and possible solutions for potholes.
“Potholes can be a constant issue in the Plassmann lot and around the townhouses,” said Marcin. “I wonder if, besides simply patching these holes, there’s a way to re-do the parking lots and prevent so many from showing up.”
While the amount of potholes per year can vary, Smith described the usual method for dealing with those that appear.
“There’s never a permanent fix until we get to do the blacktop in the summer,” said Smith. “But we did fill them with [U.S.] Cold Patch over the course of three or four days during spring break. It’s generally too hard to do when the kids are here – you don’t get a time where nobody’s going over those patches.”
While U.S. Cold Patch, an asphalt repair product, can provide effective solutions in the short term, it is vulnerable to weather conditions. Smith explained how heavy rainfall or excessive freezing could cause the filled asphalt patches to “pop” or crack open.
Snowfall may be the most visible of weather conditions but Smith emphasized the difficulty of dealing with rain on campus.
“If it’s raining, the salt preparation is kind of pointless because it washes away,” said Smith. “We can melt the snow or ice and turn it into slush… and often, the water can’t drain quickly. In that situation, there’s really nothing we can do except wear boots and be careful.”
Despite some issues due to weather, Smith expressed that this year has been relatively forgiving compared to previous years. For example, after last year’s high volume of snow, the university’s salt supply has proved more than sufficient for this year.
The lighter conditions have not been lost on students, either. Despite the potholes present, Marcin was optimistic about traveling around campus.
“Generally, the walking paths around campus have been in good condition this year,” said Marcin. “Some puddles and snow, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
Freshman finance major Cale Patten agreed, also noting that the university’s maintenance seemed to be close to the norm.
“I haven’t noticed much out of the ordinary here compared to home,” said Patten. “Sure, there’s potholes, but those are usually dealt with after the weather clears up.”
Smith said Facilities Operations has policies in place to deal with precipitation over the coming weeks, and they’re working to ensure a safer campus. As winter weather continues to hit Bonaventure, Facilities Operations will continue to respond to concerns across campus.
reillyt19@bonaventure.edu
