Facilities Services staff member Stephanie Fifield-Anson clears a sidewalk on campus. (Photo by Amy Manley)
Clearing Snow From Campus by the Numbers
As the calendar steadily marches through January, Syracuse is living up to its reputation for snowfall—and lots of it. According to WSYR NewsChannel 9, more than 93 inches of snow has fallen in the Syracuse area this season as of Jan. 19.
Enter the University’s winter warriors: the Facilities Services grounds team, who work around the clock to keep campus walkable and drivable during snowstorms.
During the winter months, snow clearing on campus becomes a priority for facilities staff members.
Roads, sidewalks, stairs and parking lots are pre-salted prior to expected snowfall, says Grounds Manager Joe Quarantillo. “During a snow event, we continually plow our routes and salt where needed,” he says.
There is no snowfall threshold that sets clearing efforts in motion. “If the snow is sticking to the surface, we are out plowing and salting,” Quarantillo says.
Once the snow has stopped falling, crews complete the clean out and haul away snow when needed. Excess snow is taken to South Campus.
By the Numbers
Ever wonder what it takes to keep the University clear of snow during a typical snow event?
For example, during a multi-day storm around the New Year’s holiday, 56 crew members from the grounds department and the JMA Wireless Dome cleared snow and ice from 65 acres of University property, including the following:
- 14 miles of roadways
- 24 miles of sidewalks
- 3,000 stairs
- 680 entrances and stoops
- 9,300 parking spaces
- spread 500 tons of salt
- moved snow from North Campus to South Campus for three consecutive days
Quarantillo says the best thing that students, faculty and staff can do to help his crews with their efforts is to be patient.
“During winter weather events, the crew is working non-stop to ensure campus is open and safe,” he says. “We work to get to all areas as fast and safely as possible.”
No matter what challenges the winter months bring, there is one campus snow clearing ritual that thankfully is a distant memory.
The new roof of the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome), installed in 2020, no longer needs to be shoveled by hand as as the old roof did for the previous 40 years.
