Winter storms fill students with excitement about the possibility of snow days filled with Netflix and relaxation. However, with larger amounts of snow accumulation come increased costs for snow removal.

On average, including variables such as contractors and equipment, $60,000 to $75,000 is spent a year on campus snow removal. The grounds crew at Grand Valley State University expects that amount to increase this year depending on the upcoming weather.

Last winter, in total, 165 tons of salt were used on GVSU’s Allendale Campus. This year, that much salt has already been used, and more must be ordered to get through the rest of the season.

Grounds Supervisor Ken Stanton and the rest of the GVSU facilities department work many long, cold hours to keep campus safe and accessible. With this winter being one of the earliest and harshest GVSU has seen in some time, the need for efficient snow removal is at an all-time high.

“This is the most snow we have had on campus in my four years here,” said Danielle Mierow, a senior at GVSU. “Compared to recent years, the snowfall has come earlier and heavier than before.”

Facilities ensures that sidewalks and classroom entrances are adequately cleared for the school day. The team includes more than 21 grounds workers and custodians and 17 student employees. These workers disperse to various areas on campus spreading salt and shoveling accumulated snow. In addition, members of the Grand Valley Rowing Club shovel sidewalks from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.

“Depending on how bad the weather conditions are, we can have people coming in to work from as early as three in the morning until the campus is cleared,” Stanton said.

At times, snow removal can be too large of a task for internal cooperation alone. When there is a large need for snow maintenance, contractors out of Zeeland are called in to ensure that the campus can be safely opened. Looking forward, this may be something used more often by GVSU to adjust to the above-average snowfall.

Though it is looking to be a rough winter, campus will only be closed if there are problems with visibility and road conditions, Stanton said. If the university is closed due to unmanageable outdoor conditions, facilities employees are still required to come in and work to clear the campus. Oftentimes, the job can be stressful and the work environment is straining.

“When we have these big snow storms, like we had (last) Monday and Tuesday, there’s an urgency to get things cleaned up and taken care of,” Stanton said. “It’s imperative to keeping campus safe and running.”