In addition to maintaining the plant life on our campus, the grounds crew is also responsible for preparing and maintaining sidewalks, parking lots and some streets during winter conditions.

Kevin Courtwright, supervisor of grounds, said preparing the campus for wintry conditions is a multistep process that starts the day before a storm is supposed to hit. Courtwright said nine people on the grounds crew and four people from athletics collaborate on preparing for winter storms and cleaning up the aftermath.

The first step in preparing for wintry conditions is the application of a pretreat slurry, which melts small amounts of snow and ice. Larger amounts of snow are easily removed as the slurry prevents it from sticking. The pretreat application takes approximately eight hours, which includes installing the machinery on vehicles.

“It’s been a total game changer,” Courtwright said, noting this method was instituted two years ago.

Granular and liquid melting solutions are applied during and after the storm hits.

Parking lots on the inner campus are cleared in-house, while other lots — such as those for many residence hall facilities — are done by outside contractors who are supervised by the grounds crew.

Courtwright said the grounds crew also spends two to four hours clearing and spreading salt on the 19 miles of sidewalks on campus.

Courtwright said the grounds crew has used several tons of salt in a single evening to prepare for wintry conditions.