[1]Due to extreme icy conditions a parking lot at the college is closed. Photo by Alisa Howlett
By Alisa Howlett
BELLEVILLE – Slippery sidewalks around the college have had Loyalist students concerned about their safety this week.
Sarah Armstrong is one of them.
“I almost slipped actually, coming out to go to the vehicle the other night,” Armstrong said Thursday.
Students are telling QNet News that the sidewalks need to be salted or sanded better.
“I guess just more salt or sand is all you really can do. You can’t really scrape it up because it’s three inches thick,” said another student, Riley Calwell.
But Grant Brummel, the manager of facility services at the college, says extreme weather conditions are not a new thing and staff and students have a responsibility to handle them accordingly.
“It is what it is. We’re supposed to be Canadians – we’re supposed to know how to deal with this.”
Brummel said at this time of year he gets many complaints about weather-related issues, including snow-covered parking spots and the slippery sidewalks.
So far no injuries on campus have been reported as a result of the recent bad weather. Brummel said it is up to everyone to prevent injuries.
“The responsibility lies on everybody. It lies on (the health and safety coordinator), it lies on the college, it lies on us, it lies on the individual,” he said. “Do they have proper footwear on? You come to school wearing running shoes and you’re walking on ice, that’s probably not a good mix.”
Due to the extreme weather, parking lot P10 has been closed. Brummel says this was done for safety reasons. P10 is a temporary lot without proper night lighting, and Brummel said that because it is poorly lit people have a greater chance of slipping on the ice.
As a result of the closure, about 150 parking spaces are gone.
With the lot closed, the college saves about $2,000 a month in plowing costs, Brummel said.