Bloomington Leader

A snowstorm beginning on January 5 brought 10.5 inches of snow to the Indiana University Bloomington campus over two days, complicating travel and building access. An additional six inches fell on January 10. During such weather events, certain Indiana University employees become crucial in maintaining accessibility across the campus.

Approximately 75 Landscape Services employees, along with nearly a dozen from Building Services, Building Maintenance, and Utilities, worked to clear roads, parking lots, walkways, and steps. Their efforts ensured that university employees could reach their workplaces and that the campus was ready for the spring semester classes starting the following week.

The team used various equipment including plow trucks, backhoes, skid steers for clearing roads and loading docks. Utility task vehicles with plows and tractors managed sidewalks while personnel equipped with snow shovels and leaf blowers focused on steps and accessibility ramps. The scope of their work included:

- Clearing 20 miles of campus roads.

- Maintaining 55 miles of sidewalks.

- Managing 214 parking lots.

- Clearing 809 sets of steps.

“It takes the dedicated efforts of our entire team to ensure that campus remains safe through all winter storm events,” said Tristan Johnson, Director of Landscape Services.

Among those working long hours were Anthony Bledsoe and Birdy Smith from Landscape Services. Smith is a landscape technician who typically works on flower beds but shifts to clearing sidewalks during snowfall. She worked a maximum allowed shift of 16 hours from January 5 to January 6 due to safety reasons. “It was insane; the snow kept coming,” she noted.

Smith concentrated on ensuring pathways led safely into buildings. “My job is to make sure pedestrians can get into buildings safely,” she explained.

Bledsoe serves as one of three crew leaders for the east section of campus when not operating a plow truck at IU Regional Academic Health Center during snowfalls. He described his role as challenging yet satisfying: “This job is a service job... it’s something that adds to the joy around here.”

As snowfall continued through early January, Johnson acknowledged ongoing challenges but expressed confidence in his team's readiness for future weather conditions: “We have a lot of winter season left to go... I know we’re going to be ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store for us.”