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University at Buffalo Snow Removal Plan & Procedure
(ADA Building Access Points)

1. Overview

During winter months the parking lots and roadways on the University are inspected on a
continual basis by patrol officers in the University Police Department. When snow or ice
removal is required, University Police contact the Chilled Water Plant which is staffed 24/7.
The Chilled Water Plant engineer makes contact with the Grounds crew from Facilities
Operations to clear snow or salt icy areas. The staff available to remediate the snow and icy
conditions varies by the day of week and hour of the day. When adequate staff or resources
are not available, call-in procedures are implemented to bring appropriate resources on
campus to deal with the weather situation.

Many of the situations faced by the grounds crews are influenced by the time of day that the
storm hits, the day of the week or time of the year. We are also mindful of the fact that
residence hall occupancy, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), class sessions, and
general University business dictate a varying degree of response. A period of high level of
activity, with classes in session and full residence hall occupancy, dictates a higher level of
response than would be required during periods of time when there are no classes scheduled
and residence halls are lightly occupied.

2. Criteria Used For Calling in Work Crews

1. University Police call Chilled Water Plant. The Chilled Water Plant engineer dispatcher
   calls a Grounds Supervisor.
2. When roads become icy, salting will begin.
3. When the depth of snow on the roadways is approximately 2 inches plowing will begin.
4. When snow in parking lots is between 2-4 inches, parking lot plowing will begin. It
   should be noted that it is virtually impossible to clear parking spaces in the parking lots
   while cars are parked there. Snow storms which happen during a work day are handled
   by keeping parking lot entrances and aisles open. The parking surface for vehicles is
   cleared overnight after cars have departed the lot.
5. Parking lots are cleared by plowing lots nearest academic buildings then service areas
   and residential lots. Ideally, all these areas are cleaned simultaneously when enough
   people and equipment are available.

3. General Policy

1. Ensure that all campus roads remain passable for emergency vehicles throughout the
   snow removal period. This is always our first priority. Final clearing curb to curb may
   be performed later in the process but initially roads must be kept passable.
2. From the 17th of November to the 29th of March, we will have a two person snow/ice
   removal crew working on campus Monday through Friday 5 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.,
   Saturday 6 a.m. through 2:30 p.m., and Sunday 3 p.m. through 11:30 p.m.
3. The Town of Amherst will automatically respond to snow and ice conditions on John
   Audubon Parkway and the Flint/Rensch entries to the Audubon. University Police
   notifies the Town of Amherst as needed. The University Facilities Grounds Department
   salts the Flint entrance/exit bridges over Millersport Highway, in addition to services
   supplied by the Town of Amherst.
4. Sometimes an overnight snowfall will create a situation where roads have been opened
   but the parking lots will not be usable before 8 a.m. The senior snow removal
   supervisor on campus must continually assess this situation. If campus closure or
   restrictions are needed the decision is made by 5 a.m. This process will determine
   whether campus can remain open after a snowstorm or whether it must close or
   perhaps remain open with limited parking available.

4. Special Parking Lot Policies

1. Snow removal in parking lots is more difficult and time consuming than roadway snow
   removal.
2. Heavy, dense snow requires a major effort to remove. It takes more time, requires
   more heavy duty equipment, leads to more equipment breakdowns, and may require
   snow blowing or trucking to remove snow from the lots. When heavy, dense snow falls
   parking lot plowing will be started when about 2 inches of snow has fallen.
3. Light density snow may be deeper yet less troublesome. Smaller pieces of equipment
   may be used. This type of snow presents less difficulty for driving or walking and it may
   melt after the first thaw following the snowfall. When snow is light and powdery,
   removal of the snow may start after about 4 inches of snow has fallen.
4. For any snowfall, full parking lot clean-up is accomplished on the night following the
   snowstorm when most cars have vacated the lots.
5. Plowing of residential parking lots is a much more challenging task than lots for
   commuter students, faculty, and staff. Access to parking in residential lots is typically a
   24 hour a day requirement.

5. Priorities For Snowplowing – Both Campuses

1. Campus roads / ADA access
2. Parking lots
   First, academic lots
   Second, service lots
   Third, residential lots
3. Walkways
   First, parking lot walkways to buildings
   Second, lateral walkways are completed
   Third, walkways parallel to roads are done last

6. University Facilities Grounds Department follows a detailed process for systematic snow removal. The process follows the priorities listed in number 5 above. During an especially concentrated storm it may be necessary to continually return to plowing of campus roadways and egress lanes from parking lots. Areas lower on the priority list may have to wait until the storm subsides.

7. Special attention is paid to ADA access to academic buildings. See the list below which details our priority access site. These areas are maintained on a continual basis and have
a priority as high as campus roadways.

8. This plan is intended to provide orderly and prioritized methods to fight most snowstorms. Each storm will present different problems and the on site grounds supervisor makes continual adjustments to alter the plan as needed to achieve the most benefit from the existing personnel and equipment available. Weather conditions and the time of day the storm hits may require changing of priorities.

November 7, 2003

March 11, 2004 9:33 AM