By Carly Shaia

Special to The Farmville Herald

Keeping students safe is a top priority for faculty and staff members at Longwood University. Winter Storm Jonas delayed two basketball games, moved the women’s tennis first game of the spring season, and could even be the root of what caused the Cox Hall dormitory’s basement to flood from a broken water main pipe on Tuesday.

The icy, wintery mix combined created a historic snowstorm reaching backyard ruler calculations of over 10 inches.

The weather created a four-day weekend for students and staff alike. Indicated in the university’s inclement weather policy, during risky weather, such as Winter Storm Jonas, essential personnel must come into work, even during hazardous conditions. Longwood facilities, such as the Dorrill Dining Hall, Greenwood Library, and the Lankford Student Union were open under modified hours during the winter storm.

On top of the staff working in those facilities, the university’s Landscaping and Grounds Management Team had all hands on deck in order to combat the icy conditions to keep students safe.

In an effort to beat past the storm, the crew used motorized utility vehicles and distributed a mixture of water and salt-based chemicals to pre-treat the grounds before the snow began to fall.

“The thing with pretreating is we look at the weather beforehand,” said David Love, director of Longwood University’s Landscaping and Grounds Management. “That’s the snail trails around campus.”

During the storm, the crew used rotary brooms and work vehicles as plows to remove as much snow as possible even when wind speeds peaked over 30 mph.

“Our main concentration is residence halls, D-Hall and the health and fitness center,” said Love. “On Saturday we started at about 7 a.m. in the morning,” said Love, and they began the removal process again. After the storm, crews began the even more laborious task of shoveling and plowing through the compact snow.

The crew had to plow every sidewalk, road and parking lot, and then cover it with sand and salt compounds to ensure it wouldn’t freeze over and create ice overnight in the below-freezing temperatures.

The crew took care of more than just the main campus, but also took care of Longwood managed facilities such as off campus housing, like Longwood Lancer Park, and the various off-campus dining accommodations, such as Midtown Square.

At Longwood’s Student Government Association meeting on Tuesday, Love addressed the student’s specific concerns with snow removal on campus.

One area of concern was that certain areas on campus, such as around Grainger Hall, were not fully cleared due to melting ice and snow falling from the roof of the building. The facilities crew placed caution tape around the building and other areas on campus with similar issues.

The student’s main concerns were the parking lots, stating in the SGA’s meeting minutes that the conditions were “terrible.” 

Students were advised in an email, sent from Laura Rice, the university’s parking services manager, where to specifically move their vehicles and the option of renting shovels from the offices, if necessary.

“Ideally students should only leave if it is absolutely necessary,” Rice said in her email.

Although the team may not have entirely cleared every sidewalk or parking space, the university deemed the campus safe enough for students to return to — a decision made partially by looking at the hard work performed by the men and women braving the elements and working their shoveling arms and back muscles for four days straight.

“We are still cleaning up stuff,” said Love.