Facilities team preps for snow season

Nestled in a plateau between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus is no stranger to winter weather. 

Well before snow or ice arrives, the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities is hard at work following time-tested procedures and preparing for a rapid clean up. 

Before ice or snowfall 

Winter weather preparations begin at the end of September, as the grounds crew evaluates existing snow and ice equipment. The team notes what equipment need to be repaired or ordered and begins to stockpile salt and ice melt for sidewalks. 

This process remains the same every year, no matter the winter predictions for the area. 

“We hope for the best, and prepare for the worst,” said Bruce Lytton, director of electrical and mechanical operations. 

In collaboration with university stakeholders, key members of the division attend an annual meeting in October to review the university's Authorized Closing Policy, make policy updates, and unify winter weather response communications.  

Through the eye of the storm

Over 300 division employees from the grounds crew, housekeeping crew, Virginia Tech Electric Service, and maintenance shops are involved in winter weather preparations and removal. 

Communication is crucial among the division’s various crews, teams, and shops to ensure a timely arrival before a winter weather event affecting the Blacksburg campus. 

Once winter weather begins, utility task vehicles, tractors, and skid steers are deployed campuswide to clear sidewalks and roadways. 

Each shop has a designated snow zone where the team is responsible for shoveling stairways, helping housekeepers with building entrances and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, and other removal areas that are not physically attached to a specific building. 

The grounds crew works on rotating 12-hour shifts, and when needed, the roadway and sidewalk crews will adjust to the same hours. 

“Depending on the timing of the weather event, the sidewalk crews will be on 12-hour shifts as well because we want to make sure students can get to the dining halls and back to the residence halls after hours,” said Anthony Watson, director of facilities operations and deputy to the assistant vice president for facilities operations. 

Sidewalk crews focus on clearing the paved walkways across campus for pedestrian travel during winter weather events. 

“It is important for the university community to recognize that what they see in their little corner of campus, is just a small piece compared to what all the crews are doing,” said Lytton. 

Reopening campus

Once winter storms end, teams keep pivot to a maintenance approach. Crews work to widen pathways on both sidewalks and roads. Parking lots receive extra attention when storms end. Assigned team members report back to campus the following day to treat any ice melt that has refrozen. 

“Our mission is to keep the university open and running,” said Watson. “When the campus community is enjoying two-hour delays or school being closed, our folks are still here working so they can get here safely the following day.”

Crews work extended hours following winter storms to reopen campus in a timely manner and resume normal activities. 

Memorable winters

Snow blizzard of 1992

The Blacksburg campus experienced so much snow the Sterrett Center awning collapsed. Snow drifts in the residential region around Ambler-Johnston Hall reached heights of 6 feet, while drifts near the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport reached 14 feet. 

Ice storm of 1993 

The storm caused power blackouts across Montgomery County. The electrical services shop joined forces with the Virginia Tech Electric Service to help restore power in the Town of Blacksburg.  Many of the shops were working with the grounds crew to clean up trees that had fallen across sidewalks and parking lots. Two trees fell across Duck Pond Drive and into the Duck Pond. Teams joined together to chip the ice off of roadways and sidewalks around the Blacksburg campus. 

Snow series of 2014

A series of snows arrived on the Blacksburg campus every Thursday or Friday for a month straight. “There was a 32-day span that I was on campus everyday,” said Watson. For four weeks, crews did not get a weekend off. Teams were clearing parking lots and sidewalks, and ensuring consistent campus operations for teaching, learning, and living. 

Christmas 2022 freeze

Although the 2022 season did not put a snow plow on the roads, sub zero temperatures wreaked havoc on the Blacksburg campus. Crews were at Torgersen Hall on Christmas Eve morning to deal with freezing pipes. Windows were left open, which caused pipes to freeze and the fire water in the building to be activated, which began freezing in the hallways. Crews worked eight-hour shifts from Christmas Eve to Dec. 29.

“When we have a delay, we really need people to listen to it,” said Watson. “Delayed openings are for a reason, and we need that time to clear parking lots and sidewalks.”