Every winter, snow and ice grace Iowa State, leaving the university with a six-figure bill, experts estimate.

David Miller, director of facilities and utilities, said snow removal expenses have been calculated at approximately $270,000 a year.

Miller said that his office’s early estimates for the blizzard on Jan. 5 and 6 are around $25,000 a day. Snow removal efforts on those days involved 44 people working 417 hours of overtime.

Although some people characterize the snow removal efforts around campus as “ice polishing,” Lester Lawson, manager for facilities planning and management, said no matter how well the job is done, this season promises more slick sidewalks and snowy days before it ends.

“Everybody’s saying that we should plow with blades, and that’s what we’ve done this time,” he said. “If there’s ice, there’s ice. We’ll sand and salt it, but it’s still going to be there.”

The department’s Web site has a number of tips to ensure safe treading on icy sidewalks, including walking slowly, wearing proper footwear with traction and avoiding unplowed shortcuts.

Facilities and utilities will do the digging out and bill the respective offices for the cost.

Lawson said despite their best efforts, sometimes the force of Mother Nature can become too overpowering.

“If the snow’s here and doing its thing, we start at about 2 a.m. going through the night until 4 p.m.,” he said. “We have cots and sleeping bags here in the shop, and people will grab a couple hours of sleep between going on their routes.”

According to the department’s site, the highest priority when digging out Iowa State is clearing the 162 acres of university parking lots.

Those who park their cars overnight and those who commute face different sets of problems.

“We just plow around parked cars, and obviously, if you’re parked in a lot when we do this, you’ll be plowed in,” Lawson said.

For those that commute, facilities planning and management’s site has an inactive link to a “Winter Storm Parking Plan.”

If lots are not plowed by 8 a.m., Lawson said the plan involves plowing select lots all around the university.

Parking in those lots should allow crews the time to finish working on the other lots.