Little sleep, lots of coffee: How crews worked to ensure Long Island schools could reopen

As snow descended on Long Island this past weekend, ultimately dropping about 2 feet in many areas, Dennis Martin found himself hunkered down on a blowup mattress at South Huntington's former Memorial Junior High School.

The district's director of facilities, Martin said it was vital for him to stay overnight during the peak of Sunday night’s storm to ensure the school facilities were kept in shape. Though he expected the storm to be similar to last month’s snowfall, which dumped about a foot of snow on parts of the Island, he said it turned out to be more challenging.

"It wasn't as cold and dry, which means it's heavier," Martin said. "And a lot harder to push, and there was a greater need to stay with the storm and obviously it puts a wear and tear on everything."

Martin was among the scores of school maintenance workers on the Island who toiled long into the night or rose before sunrise in recent days to clear parking lots, shovel paths and salt sidewalks so students could return to class. Many crews were running on little sleep and loads of coffee, officials said.

"Over the past several days, our facilities team has worked around the clock in challenging conditions to ensure our schools were safe and fully operational following the significant snowfall here in Commack," Superintendent Jordan Cox said in a statement. "While much of their work happens behind the scenes, its impact is felt by every student and staff member who walks through our doors."

Ahead of the snowfall, crews monitored the forecast, greased machinery and prepared rotating schedules to make sure the cleanup effort was properly staffed.

"We loaded up the machines, operated them, drove them around, made sure the plows all work," Garden City's director of buildings and grounds, Robert Foley, said.  "Anything we had to do in preparation for the amount of work that we anticipated was going to be needed for a 12-plus-inch snowstorm." 

About 60 ground, maintenance and custodial employees in Glen Cove worked at about eight buildings.

"My guys are the ones that, before I even make the phone call to make a plan, they're already here and they've already got gas in the machines, and they're just doing their thing," said Daniel Novak, the district’s director of facilities.

Novak estimated his crews used about 1,000 pounds of calcium chloride for sidewalks and around 20 yards of salt-sand mix.

In Farmingdale, some crew members stayed overnight Sunday to continue working but also to avoid the travel ban issued by Nassau County. 

The issue that arose for many was where to put the snow, including the slush leftover from last month’s storm.

"The added accumulation of the snowstorms added a challenge for us as a district," said Michael Fink, Farmingdale's supervisor of school facilities and operations. "We still had piles that were existing in the parking lot ... it limited our resources and where we could put it."

With the forecast this week predicting more snow, albeit in much smaller quantities, school officials said they will continue to prepare for all conditions. Fink said they have to strategically relocate piles of snow and take inventory on salt and equipment, while also servicing any broken machines.

"It'll be a tight crunch but you know, we'll do everything we can," he said.

In South Huntington, Martin said maintenance workers are responsible for clearing nine buildings. He said the work will continue even as schools reopen.

"We'll be chopping away at any problematic areas all week long," he said.