Madison Reporter

As winter approaches, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is gearing up to tackle the challenges posed by snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. The Building Services teams are crucial in ensuring that school grounds remain safe and operational during extreme weather conditions.

Preparation begins with a transition from summer to winter tasks. By late October, all plows are inspected and prepared for use. The district operates 18 to 20 plow trucks along with three dedicated "snow fighter" trucks for salting operations. Each high school is equipped with specialized machinery like skid-steer loaders and tractors fitted with plow attachments.

Custodians play an essential role in early morning snow removal, clearing entryways and sidewalks before 7 a.m. Grounds crews may be called overnight depending on snowfall and temperature conditions to ensure school lots are cleared for staff and students by morning.

"Our district is entirely self-sufficient when it comes to snow removal," stated Dean Kunz, Assistant Director of Operations - Buildings & Grounds. "There’s no outside contractor handling this. It’s our grounds team and custodians doing the work while most people are still asleep."

For salting parking lots and walkways, MMSD collaborates with Wisconsin Salt Wise to minimize salt pollution in local water bodies. Teams carefully decide when and where to apply salt using an environmentally safer blend.

Maintenance teams also focus on keeping over 100 district boilers operational despite many exceeding their expected lifespan. Assistant Director of Facilities Maintenance Mike MacDonald highlighted the efforts of in-house steamfitters: "We have roles for 30 tradespeople, so that's a pretty drastic ratio to take care of 5 million square feet of buildings."

The Building Services Department contributes to decisions regarding potential school closures due to severe weather. Ensuring student and staff safety remains a top priority as MMSD monitors weather conditions in consultation with meteorologists, the City of Madison, and transportation providers during snowstorms or frigid temperatures.

Families receive notifications via email, text, or robocall about school closures either the day before or early on the morning of a closure. Information is also updated on the MMSD website, social media channels, and shared with local news outlets.