To the Editor,

We would like to respond to the Jan. 29 editorial, ‘Pitt’s weather… To the Editor,

We would like to respond to the Jan. 29 editorial, ‘Pitt’s weather response was not right for conditions,’ from the perspective of Facilities Management.

Prior to the main storm arriving, snow crews had already been on campus removing snow and salting roads and sidewalks. As the storm intensified, additional crews and support personnel were called in. Custodial support staff began to shovel and treat the areas near building entrances so that the grounds crews could concentrate on the sidewalks and larger areas.

As the storm continued to intensify, custodial and grounds crews were once again supplemented by additional staff from the laborers shop who concentrated their efforts on the steps and hilly areas. In all, we had more than 100 employees assigned to snow removal. We utilized more than 343 tons of salt and ice melt and deployed 14 pieces of motorized equipment. Keep in mind this occurred from early Tuesday evening and continued non-stop through late Wednesday evening. Many of these same crews were called back out early Thursday morning to deal with the additional snow that accumulated throughout the night.

Despite our best efforts in preparation and contingency planning, the timing, intensity and duration of this storm admittedly resulted in difficulty for students and personnel making their way around campus.

Facilities Management’s main objective is always the safety and convenience of the entire Pitt community — during good times and bad. Sometimes it helps to remember that we are a ‘city within a city’ with an extremely large area to cover in a short period of time during extreme weather events.

Joseph W. Fink

Associate Vice Chancellor

Facilities Management