Early winter storms and a late football season have combined to create a unique challenge for the BSM maintenance team. With the most snow ever recorded in an October, there have been several occasions where the field has been covered in several inches of it. Having a playable surface is often something that is taken for granted, but there is significant work that needs to be done to maintain this through the snow.

Although fall snow is not unheard of in Minnesota, it is certainly rare. “This is the first year I have plowed the field. In the past, the field has been plowed in the past to prepare for spring sports,” Brian Aubrey, Maintenance Supervisor said.

Having to plow the field is not only rare, but an extremely time-intensive job, “It takes roughly 6 hours to remove the snow, drag the field and blow off the lines and numbers,” Aubrey said. This is six hours on top of the everyday tasks that the maintenance department is responsible for around the school.

If the six hours of work wasn’t enough, it also required a bit of ingenuity to create the proper equipment for the job. “We use a Kubota Utility Tractor with a bucket. Al Liekhus, BSM employee retired, modified a 4″ x 60″ piece of conduit to fit over the blade of the bucket. This allows the bucket to glide over the turf so the blade doesn’t catch and tear the turf,” Aubrey said.

With all of this extra work he has had to do due to the snow, Aubrey has managed to maintain a positive attitude. He sees the importance of each task he and the maintenance department do around the school, “All the tasks we do are to prepare the school and grounds for the needs of the students, faculty, staff and community. Everyday there are different tasks needed for different groups. Each group’s needs are important and we do our best to provide them with what they need for a great event. With that being said playing in the snow is always a lot fun!” Aubrey said.