As the weather forecasts flits from warm to cold during the last few autumn months, Grand Valley State University’s students are readily preparing themselves for the infamous West Michigan winter.

While there are various factors that go into preparing the Allendale and Pew campuses for the winter, GVSU’s facilities services department has been working to maintain and enhance the services at GVSU throughout the snow and frost-filled months.

Terry Pahl, the energy and engineering supervisor at GVSU’s facilities services on the Allendale Campus, said there are several variables to review when providing heat throughout GVSU’s campuses during the winter months.

Emphasizing that facility services expects a colder winter than usual, some of the projects the energy management services have conducted include finishing a heat recovery project in Henry Hall – which collected a rebate of $17,000 – and repairing or replacing mechanical equipment and/or piping insulation in various locations across campus.

“We continue to have boiler tune ups every two years for the winter,” Pahl said. “We also keep an eye on heating valves and fine-tuning equipment.”

Pahl also indicated the department has recently installed variable frequency drives on pump motors that will provide hot water in campus buildings.

Installing more demand control ventilation systems (DCV) throughout the living centers and academic buildings, Pahl said the DCV installation will limit the insurgence of outside cold air into buildings that have to be heated based on several factors.

“We are monitoring carbon dioxide in the building (and) room, to make sure that enough fresh air is coming in,” he said. “With the distribution of heat to different rooms and buildings, adding in a higher amount of bodies in a space, you have to monitor an occupant’s comfort and make sure the temperature doesn’t drop too far in the winter.”

Edward Simon, a ground supervisor at GVSU’s Allendale Campus, said the amount of salt used to provide safer services for pedestrians and cars depends on the winter.

“We are expecting higher precipitation, with the way the summer was, which was above normal and will increase the lake effect and will most likely get more snow than normal,” Simon said. “Last year it was extremely light. (In a) typical winter, we used about 250 to 300 tons of salt.”

While Simon’s department adjusts to changes in winter weather – mostly if weather forecasts fail and there is a lighter amount of snow – volunteers, which include GVSU’s rowing team, have developed a system to salt around academic buildings and student living centers between 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. during the weekdays.

“We have a full-time crew of 12 people that help in some parking lots on campus and 25 student employees to help us out throughout the semester and help with building entrance and sidewalks,” he said. “Our equipment and rental equipment is ready to go just so we can make sure we have everything taken care of.”

While most of the GVSU community will be spending their time indoors due to the winter chill, it is imperative students, faculty and staff also dress appropriately for the changes in weather.

“The human body doesn’t react that well to extreme changes in weather and being properly dressed during the winter time is necessary in being safe and comfortable throughout the cold,” Pahl said.