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Physical Plant is prepared for this season’s snowstorms and worse

By Sarah Salimi ’20

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Before this week and its unseasonably warm temperatures, the Hill had been enduring cold weather and a lot of snow. It seemed apt to interview the College’s Grounds Services Manager, Donald Croft, who has served the community for 22 years. Croft manages a team that deals with tasks such as work orders, moving and delivering furniture, trash removal and other odd jobs; in the winter, his crew of 17 is responsible for “everything snow-related” — moving it, plowing it and more. “We do much more than snow removal. We like to think of ourselves as the backbone of the college. We support every department on campus — we’re the labor pool and the manpower,” remarked Croft.

When asked how snow removal had been affecting day-to-day groundworks, Croft was surprisingly nonchalant: “These snowstorms aren’t that bad. In the years that have gone by, the winters have been surprisingly mild. In my career, I’ve seen snow that comes by the foot.” However, he did acknowledge that whenever a storm does hit, the issue of removal can cause a backlog in other work, such as attending to trash removal. Moreover, when storms are particularly bad, personnel may have to work overtime, which can create a staffing problem. 11 of his crew members deal with groundwork, and six of them are in charge of maintenance of the athletic fields. When asked about the division of labor amongst his team, Croft responded, “We have a system that really works well for us.” When snow hits, two personnel are dispatched as first responders to tend to faculty and staff parking lots as well as the main roads; this work is crucial because it ensures public access for teachers and emergency vehicles to campus. Then, at 6 a.m., three personnel relieve these workers and begin the task of clearing sidewalks to ensure the safety of students and faculty. “We want them here early so we can get a jump start before people are up and about,” Croft explained. 

As Hamilton is a walking campus and the students are in residence, student parking, unfortunately, has to come second. According to Croft, “Everybody is a priority to us, but there’s only so much equipment and personnel to go around we have to start where the greatest need is and work backwards.” However, he acknowledges that if ever there is a student whose vehicle is snowed in, he and his team are always more than happy to dispatch a truck for assistance. Snow removal is most difficult during February and March because the snow is wet and hard to move, unlike in the colder months. The months of December and January are not particularly laborious because students are gone for the majority of this period, which puts less stress on the grounds crew. The biggest seasonal challenge is freezing rain. “That’s not snow, but it needs its due...it causes me more anxiety than anything else,” remarked Croft. The only counter-measure to freezing rain is laying down salt; as long as the rain keeps coming down, the ice will keep forming unless more salt is immediately laid down. This makes roads and pathways, particularly Martin’s Way, slippery and dangerous. He continued, “The last thing I want is for someone to slip. Students, they’re very important to me... Getting them to classes and activities is a priority.”

Assessing his crew’s effectiveness, Croft said, “I think we do a pretty good job.” And they do. I think we can all attest to how clean and neat the pathways and sidewalks are after a recent storm, and that in the mornings, snow seems to have been removed magically. Recently, Croft’s team has been begun removing snow from the athletic fields so that the baseball, softball and lacrosse teams can begin their respective seasons.

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