Green and white

Snow removal and deicing on campus are the result of a collaboration between MSU Landscape Services and many other departments, including the Division of Housing and Food Services and Custodial Services, said Gerry Dobbs, landscape services manager.

It is a self-contained system that takes care of sidewalks, streets and parking lots on campus.

Dobbs said a decrease in the budget and an increase in the price of salt has affected snow removal and officials are trying to find more sustainable and economic ways to keep campus streets, sidewalks and parking lots clear.

The Office of Planning and Budgets couldn’t comment on how much money was set aside for salt this year and last.

“We’re hoping to use less salt — that’s our goal,” Dobbs said.

The difficulty comes in striking a balance between using less salt and keeping roads and walkways clean. The use of pretreatments — putting salt down before it snows — helps reduce the amount of snow and ice that forms on the surfaces.

Magnesium chloride, which can be liquefied and leaves no residue, also helps. It lasts longer and is easier to distribute, Dobbs said.

“The less salt and the less chloride, the better it is for the surrounding area and the sidewalks,” Dobbs said. “There’s less sidewalk cracking and flaking off.”

They also have started using Caliber, a deicer that is made of organic materials, and doesn’t harm concrete or the inner metal structure of sidewalks, Dobbs said.

With icy walkways, the issue of safety also arises, especially for those with disabilities. The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities Web site suggests using the Spec-Tran services offered by Capital Area Transportation Authority if heavy snowfall is expected. It also recommends reporting hazards, such as slippery sidewalks, ramp and door obstructions or wet floors, to the particular building’s office.

“A lot of us are out here trying to get the campus opened up,” Dobbs said. “We work well with the police department — it’s a multidepartmental attack to keep campus opened and safe.”

Slick solutions

Students walking along East Lansing streets Monday might have noticed a white lining left on their boots, as the city covered its roads with salt for the first time this school year.

East Lansing faced a salt shortage last winter and attempted to avoid the same problem by ordering 3,800 tons of salt this year, 600 tons more than last year, said Angela Mabin, public works administrator for East Lansing.

“There was a record amount of snow last year, and salt was in such short supply by the end of February that we thought we’d go ahead and increase to be prepared,” she said.

It cost the city about $164,000 to purchase the salt this year, as opposed to about $115,000 last year. The price increased significantly because the price of salt was raised to $43.26 per ton this year, a $7.14 increase from last year.

“Last year … when the salt supply was so significantly low, we ended up mixing some of the salt with sand, so we could extend the application,” Mabin said. “We prefer not to do it because obviously sand on the roadways presents a problem, makes the roadways dirty, and more significantly, presents problems with the city sewer system.”

There is a shortage in funding for transportation maintenance this year, which affects the way that winter maintenance will be tackled, said David Wortham, a spokesman for the Michigan Municipal League.

“If a city has not planned in advance, it will probably be in trouble this year,” he said.

But with the increased amount of salt, East Lansing should have enough salt to not cut back on the amount used for each snowfall, Mabin said.

No-preference sophomore Andrew Webb said he doesn’t remember the roads being bad last winter because he walked everywhere.

“It seems that road conditions don’t affect students as much, it seems to be more of a residential problem,” he said.

Dietetics senior Alissa Mathews said she drove everywhere last year, and didn’t notice problems with the roads.

“But if it’s safer (to buy more salt), it’s worth it — I think we have enough money to spend on it,” she said.

The city typically begins clearing roads after a request from East Lansing police, or after an assessment by the Department of Public Works, Mabin said. First state highways are cleared, then major roads and then residential streets, she said.

Another winter issue the city must face involves its leaf collection, as the city picks up piles of leaves from property in East Lansing. The leaf collection will be halted Wednesday.

“With precipitation, the leaves obviously freeze and it makes it difficult for the workers to collect them, and also presents a problem for snow removal as well,” Mabin said.