Landscape Services is ready for UNL’s first measureable snowfall — if the forecast holds true.
Crews on City and East campuses spent Feb. 3 preparing for the storm, which is forecast to deliver two to 10 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.
“We’ve spent the better part of the day doing prep work, making sure blades are on and working and equipment is fueled and ready to go,” said Rich Wahl, construction manager for Landscape Services. “From that standpoint, we are ready to get out there and hit campus nice and heavy if the snow flies.”
The crews benefited from prep work completed Jan. 31 for a storm that failed to hit on Feb. 1. In the days prior to that forecast, Landscape Services employees sprayed a liquid ice melt — made of liquid magnesium — on sidewalks. That initial layer of deicer remains active and will interact with any snowfall.
“Instead of doubling up the deicer, we’re going to rely on what we applied last week,” said Eileen Bergt, assistant director of Landscape Services. “It should be enough to do the job at first.”
If the snow does fall, Landscape Services will attack it with a fleet of snow removal vehicles, 48 full-time employees and around 15 student workers.
“Ideally, we like the storms to come in at night and stop in the early morning, that allows us to get out and open campus up by 7 a.m.,” Bergt said. “But, it sounds like this one will be during the day. We plan to be out keeping campus open as it falls, then we’ll do a good cleanup overnight and into the next day.”
Kirby Baird, manager of Landscape Services on City Campus, said the crews take pride in keeping campus safe and open to faculty, staff, students and the public.
“We are ready to go,” Baird said. “Unless it turns into a major blizzard, we will be able to keep campus open for business.”
