Last week brought Lexington its first dose of winter weather. Through it all, the UK Grounds team in Facilities Management demonstrated skill, stamina and a commitment to keeping campus safe and operational.
Winter weather response begins before snow or ice ever hits the ground. The UK Grounds team builds its plan around each event’s unique conditions which can include a wintry mix, snow, ice, freezing rain and anything in between. The day before a winter weather event, teams stage salt in truck beds and strategic points across campus and tarp it for quick access. All equipment, including brooms, plows, tractors and utility vehicles, is fueled, attached, lubricated, and stored in garages so crews can roll out immediately.
During a winter weather event, vehicles return to the shop every three hours to be cleaned, lubricated and refueled. Shifts are structured to keep people fresh and effective. For last week’s event, a midnight pretreatment crew arrived to get ahead of the storm. The full UK Grounds team reported at 3 a.m., worked a 10-hour shift, and returned early the next day at 5 a.m. to ensure campus remained safe.
The work doesn’t stop once the snow stops falling. The team performs salt cleanup for stormwater protection and to limit salt from being tracked into buildings. Once major paths and priority areas are clear, crews widen their focus to secondary sidewalks, parking structures and rooftops, while being mindful of melting and refreezing that can occur.
“Our goal is to have campus cleaned of snow and ice to ensure the safety of travelers coming to or from our campus and for students living on campus,” said Corey Baker, UK Grounds manager. “We were able to keep campus safe through this first winter weather event without a delay or cancellation.”
The UK Grounds team manages snow and ice removal using a variety of equipment including 15 snowplow trucks, two large salt trucks, utility vehicles, tractors and walk-behind brooms. Priority areas always include UK HealthCare facilities, hospital access routes and associated parking structures. Check out UK’s snow removal plan here.
A Shout Out for Exceptional Effort
This storm presented an extra challenge — one of UK Grounds' two main salt trucks was out of service for repairs leaving one salt truck to cover all campus roads and major parking lots. Charles “Chuck” Morrison, from the UK Grounds Arboriculture team, stepped up and covered the entire network of campus roads, large lots and even external properties at Vaughan Warehouse and Angliana.
"Chuck did an outstanding job keeping roads and lots safe for the campus community. When the challenge of being shorthanded presented itself, he stepped up and executed to the highest level," Baker said.
All Hands on Deck: Preparing Kroger Field
Even though the fall UK Football season is over, the winter weather continued to affect Kroger Field. Crews cleared ¼" of snow and a ¼" of underlying ice from the north and south lower bowl to prepare the stadium for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s State Football Championships.
“It was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort to ensure the stadium was ready on time,” Baker said. “I appreciate the hard work our team has put in during this winter weather event through the frigid temperatures, early mornings and long hours, they have stepped up to make sure our community stays safe.”
UK Grounds workers clear ice and snow from Kroger Field.
Corey Baker
Ronald Shearer, grounds worker, shoveled snow at Kroger Field.
Jennifer T. Allen
Corey Baker (center), UK Grounds manager, Joshua Borgemenke (left), UK Grounds supervisor, and Jack Isaac (right), grounds worker, clear snow at Kroger Field to prepare the stadium for the KHSAA Football Championship games.
Thomas Bandy, grounds worker, spreads salt to help melt ice at Kroger Field.
Jack Isaac, grounds worker, clears snow at Kroger Field.
Corey Baker (left), UK Grounds manager, speaks with a grounds worker during the snow and ice removal at Kroger Field.
Charles "Chuck" Morrison, a member of the UK Grounds Aboriculture team, was the only operator covering roads and major parking lots during the winter weather event due to the additional salt truck needing repairs.
A UK Grounds utility vehicle clears snow on campus.
UK Grounds worked to remove snow on campus during the first winter weather event of this year.
UK Grounds team members removed snow and ice at Kroger Field.