U of A Facilities Management workers from several areas were on campus during four days of inclement weather operations last month treating roads, clearing walkways and managing campus heating systems to prepare for the resumption of classes. 

Employees working in building services, grounds maintenance, facility maintenance and the heating plant braved the treacherous weather to provide on-site service to campus during the winter weather that occurred in mid-February. 

On Monday, Feb. 17, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Northwest Arkansas from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday and an extreme cold warning from 6 p.m. Tuesday to noon Thursday.  

Fayetteville received over five inches of snow on Wednesday, creating a potentially hazardous environment for anyone on campus. 

Grounds crews reported to campus at 6 a.m. the rest of the week to clear campus sidewalks and roadways using snow plows on trucks and tractors. Garage workers came in to ensure necessary vehicles were functioning properly and made repairs as needed.  

Employees also utilized salt and sand spreads and de-icers on steps and sloped walkways to improve grip for pedestrians. 

Custodial workers also spent most of the week clearing the entrances of all academic buildings on campus of snow and ice with shovels and ice melt.  

"Our workers take their job extremely seriously," Elvis Hunt, assistant director of building services, said. "They know the cleanliness and overall look and accessibility of the university is the pride and backbone of campus. We're happy to do our part to improve everyone's experience at the U of A." 

It wasn't just the snow and ice that caused concern — it was the frigid temperatures. Fayetteville saw a low of minus-6 degrees Wednesday night and did not see a recorded temperature above freezing from Tuesday night to Saturday.  

The consistently-low temperatures put a heightened strain on the infrastructure serving campus heating systems. 

The heating plant team put an emphasis on monitoring plant systems as a response to the extreme cold.  

HVAC workers and other facility maintenance volunteers began a 24/7 shift schedule on Wednesday morning to prepare for any disruption that could occur as a result of the sub-zero degree wind chills. 

On Thursday morning, the university sent out a message notifying all of campus that a mechanical issue had reduced heating capacity by 25%. Central Utilities Plant workers immediately began investigating the problem and coordinating with maintenance crews, University Housing and Athletics facilities workers and research leaders to initiate the proper response.  

Maintenance crew members walked the interiors of buildings to protect potentially frozen pipes, coils and other vulnerable equipment during the partial outage. Representatives from housing, athletics, research and the heating plant made the swift decision to implement energy conservation measures across campus to allow a reduction of heating load. These modifications allowed the system to shed lower-priority heating loads in favor of student areas and critical research. 

Less than six hours after the notification was issued, FAMA workers had made repairs to restore full heat to campus. 

"The diligence and rapid response of our team were vital to restoring operations to the turbine and ensuring heating and power were maintained on campus," said Ronnie Farmer, facilities operations manager. "Despite the difficult conditions, the team worked around the clock, maintaining the plant's functionality throughout the worst of the winter weather." 

Classes resumed on Monday, thanks in large part to the efforts of hundreds of members on the FAMA team and facilities workers across campus.