For the Facilities Management Grounds crew, there are 6.8 miles of road, 15.8 miles of sidewalks and 2,855,400 square feet of parking lots to remove snow from, according to 2008 data. One individual is responsible for the sidewalks and will use the newly leased Bobcat Toolcat until the end of December.

"We're trying to evolve to better ways of [removing snow] that won't hurt the sidewalks or the bricks in the new pavilion," said Harold Dall, ground supervisor. The lease will serve as a trial period for the Toolcat, which may be purchased for 2009.

New equipment and the inclement weather policy help prepare the University of Maine for winter, but illegally parked cars are an annual hindrance to clearing roads.

Snow removal is a two-night process. On the first night, the snow is moved to make the area safer - whether it's pushed to the side or sanded and salted. This is done between midnight and 7 a.m.

This biggest struggle for the Grounds crew, according to Dall, is illegally parked cars. Ten to 30 cars may be towed per night. Towing those cars takes up a lot of time on a tight schedule.

"Too many random parked cars means there's no space to do our jobs," Dall said.

There is a strict no-towing policy in place for the Grounds crew, and they'd rather not have to call the towing company, according to Geremy Chubbuck, associate executive director of Facilities Management.

"We're not in the lots until 12 a.m.," Chubbuck said, "and we let students move their cars when they come running out to the parking lot at midnight." The towing bill per car comes to $75 for students.

The winter parking ban is in effect from Nov. 1 to May 1. This means all staff, visitor and commuter lots are closed from midnight to 6 a.m. Dall said Parking Services tries to make the parking bans and snow removal schedules clear in hopes of student cooperation.

"I didn't want to get towed," said Leah Savage, a fourth year civil engineering student, when asked if she respected the parking bans. "Not out of the kindness of my heart."

To stay on top of problem areas, the Grounds crew works hand-in-hand with the police department. They are the eyes and ears, according to Dall. Orono, Old Town and Veazie police departments also advise administrators whether or not school should be in session.

At 5 a.m. on a day of inclement weather there is a conference call of 10 people, including five to eight members of the grounds crew. The road conditions are discussed, and their conclusions are given to the president from Joe Carr, director of University Relations.

"Sometimes it's difficult to know what is the right thing to do," Carr said. "We don't have any make-up days in place."

As for the policy itself, Carr said it is solid, and there have been no complaints. He encourages students to rely on 581-SNOW, a recorded phone message that announces whether classes have been postponed or canceled by 6 a.m.

"The media is not always reliable," Carr said about television and radio stations notifying students about class cancellations. "The staffs at those places are dealing with a tremendous amount of input. 581-SNOW is the most reliable, most accurate and the quickest."

Carr ranked 581-SNOW first, the text message second, FirstClass announcements third and the media last as the best ways to learn if school is canceled.

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