As the calendar steadily marches through January, Syracuse is living up to its reputation for snowfall—and lots of it. According to WSYR NewsChannel 9, more than 93 inches of snow has fallen in the Syracuse area this season as of Jan. 19.

Enter the University’s winter warriors: the Facilities Services grounds team, who work around the clock to keep campus walkable and drivable during snowstorms.

During the winter months, snow clearing on campus becomes a priority for facilities staff members.

Roads, sidewalks, stairs and parking lots are pre-salted prior to expected snowfall, says Grounds Manager Joe Quarantillo. “During a snow event, we continually plow our routes and salt where needed,” he says.

There is no snowfall threshold that sets clearing efforts in motion. “If the snow is sticking to the surface, we are out plowing and salting,” Quarantillo says.

Once the snow has stopped falling, crews complete the clean out and haul away snow when needed. Excess snow is taken to South Campus.

By the Numbers

Ever wonder what it takes to keep the University clear of snow during a typical snow event?

For example, during a multi-day storm around the New Year’s holiday, 56 crew members from the grounds department and the JMA Wireless Dome cleared snow and ice from 65 acres of University property, including the following:

• 14 miles of roadways
• 24 miles of sidewalks
• 3,000 stairs
• 680 entrances and stoops
• 9,300 parking spaces
• spread 500 tons of salt
• moved snow from North Campus to South Campus for three consecutive days

Quarantillo says the best thing that students, faculty and staff can do to help his crews with their efforts is to be patient.

“During winter weather events, the crew is working non-stop to ensure campus is open and safe,” he says. “We work to get to all areas as fast and safely as possible.”

No matter what challenges the winter months bring, there is one campus snow clearing ritual that thankfully is a distant memory.

The new roof of the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome), installed in 2020, no longer needs to be shoveled by hand as as the old roof did for the previous 40 years.

Jimmy Taylor Jr. has pretty much been a part of the University community his whole life.

Growing up in South Onondaga, he was a regular presence on campus, thanks to his father, James Taylor Sr., who spent 35 years at the University working as a mason. From an early age, Jimmy cheered at games and visited campus with his dad, remembering one time watching his father skillfully lay tile in the former Vincent Apartments.

When Jimmy turned 18, his dad made it clear: it was time to start working. In November 1974, Jimmy joined the University’s workforce—much to his father’s pride—continuing the family’s legacy at a place that had long felt like home.

In April, he was honored at the One University Awards for his half-century of service to the University—50 years of hard work and dedication behind the scenes that help make University operations run smoothly.

“Jimmy has a great work ethic and consistently goes above and beyond in everything he does. His years of experience and deep knowledge have been a tremendous asset to the team, providing guidance, reliability and a standard of excellence that others strive to follow,” says Matthew Sessler, general maintenance supervisor in Facilities Services. “Jimmy’s commitment to quality and his proactive approach make a noticeable impact every day.”

He started in custodial services, working a 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at 611 University Ave. “That was really rough for a teenager, especially on a Friday night,” he remembers with a laugh. A year later, he moved to a day shift in Housing.

Taylor only intended to stay at the University for a short time and then move on. But he got married and their first child was born two years later. As he and his wife built their family, he was grateful for a stable job and benefits.

A true jack of all trades, he has worked in roles with the grounds crew, as a truck driver and in the carpenter shop. In 1979, he moved into general maintenance in Facilities Services and has been in that role for the past 46 years. “I have liked it, so I have stayed here,” he says.

Taylor and his team members respond to all kinds of maintenance calls around campus. He remembers some of the crazy calls over the years, including attempting to wrangle a chicken that was running down Marshall Street and calls to deal with bats in residence halls and academic buildings. “Those have always been exciting,” he says. No day, he says, has ever been the same.

With his skills, experience and knowledge of campus, Taylor has served as a group leader and mentor to younger colleagues. One of the best parts of the job, he says, is the people he has worked with.

He has seen the transformation of campus over the years, from the rise of new residence halls to the building of the JMA Wireless Dome, which was built as the Carrier Dome in the first few years of his tenure at the University. He watched as the Dome was inflated for the first time in 1980.

Taylor and his wife have four children and 11 grandchildren. Their youngest son graduated from the S and now works in the information field in Singapore. Outside of work, Taylor enjoys working on cars, boating and spending time with family at camp.

He is looking forward to retirement early next year. His wife, who ran a day care for decades, recently retired. They are looking forward to traveling and spending more time with their children and grandchildren.

“It’s been a good 50 years,” he says. “I’ve been happy, and I’ll miss it.”

You could say that Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala literally grew up at Syracuse University.

His father, John Sala, came to the University in the early 1960s for a facilities career that would span more than 30 years. As children, Pete and his brothers often tagged along with their father. Years later, Pete would join the staff himself, continuing the family’s legacy of hard work and dedication to Syracuse for more than four decades.

This fall, the University recognized that legacy with the dedication of the Sala Family Plaza, located outside Miron Victory Court and the JMA Wireless Dome. Permanent markers in the space—a plaque, a plaza sign and astroturf with 50- and 44-yard lines—acknowledge the Sala family’s impact. The project was made possible through the support of Chancellor Kent Syverud, the Board of Trustees, University leaders and community partners.

“When you think of service, hard work, and unwavering commitment to Syracuse University, few people embody those ideals as profoundly as Pete, John and the Sala family,” Chancellor Syverud said. “For more than seventy years, their extraordinary dedication and love for Syracuse University have shaped a campus that is more beautiful, more functional, and more welcoming for generations of Orange students, faculty, staff, alumni, and fans. The Sala Family Plaza will forever remind us of their enduring legacy.”

Taking on Archbold Stadium

A skilled groundskeeper, John learned the trade at Cornell University and, with his father, built the golf course at Pompey Hills Country Club in the 1950s. When Syracuse needed help rehabbing the football field at Archbold Stadium, John got the call.

Facilities leaders were so impressed with his knowledge and work ethic, he was hired as a foreman on the University’s grounds crew. He rose to superintendent and director with Physical Plant (now Facilities Services), overseeing a dramatic campus transformation. New residence halls, academic buildings, Marshall Square Mall, Archbold Theatre and the Schine Student Center all came under his watch.

Most significantly, John was instrumental in the design and construction of the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome), located at the heart of campus. The Dome celebrates its 45th anniversary this month.

Establishing a Family Legacy

John brought his three sons—John, Pete and Larry—to campus on game days, parking them at the top of Archbold Stadium while he worked. They often ended up in the office of legendary football Coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who supplied them with sandwiches and drinks.

Trustee Cliff Ensley ’69, ’70, G’71, a former football player, recalls the quality of the field John helped restore. “It was the nicest, most beautiful field I ever played on, and probably the best in the country,” Ensley said.

Plans for the Dome were frequently spread across the Sala family’s living room table. John often responded to late-night calls, and in the winter, shoveled snow from the Dome’s inflatable roof. His late wife, Jennie, and their children strongly supported his work.

John retired in 1992, but the tradition continued through Pete. Pete’s wife, Laurie, and their son Jake ’21, G’23, now a Dome staff member, are part of the Syracuse story. Four of John and Jennie’s five children attended SU, along with four of their grandsons.

Pete’s own career began with a call from his dad in 1981. Preparing for a Rolling Stones concert in the Dome, John asked Pete, home for Thanksgiving break, to round up some friends and help build the stage. Pete delivered 20 recruits, and soon after was offered a part-time job. He joined full time in June 1982.

The Torch Is Passed to a New Generation

Over 44 years at Syracuse, Pete has become deeply involved in shaping the campus. He has overseen the construction of Ernie Davis Hall, the Einhorn Family Walk, the Barnes Center at The Arch, the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, the Clifford J. Ensley Athletic Center, and the Dome’s renovation to enhance the player and fan experience. Between 2000 and 2010, the University hosted four NCAA regional tournaments, the most of any venue in the country.

As managing director of the Dome, Pete has also overseen large-scale events that draw the community to campus, including concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Pink, and fan-favorite Monster Jam.

University Trustee Christine Larsen ’84 spoke of the family’s impact, particularly Pete’s leadership on the rebuilt Dome and Miron Victory Court. “I’m proud to say the Sala Plaza will always serve as our front yard, welcoming everyone,” she said.

For Pete, much of the credit goes to his team. “Nobody on this campus has a better staff than me,” he said. “I thank you; I can’t do it without you.”

Michael Veley, former Rhonda S. Falk Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport, credits Pete with expanding opportunities beyond athletics. In 2005, they created a hands-on experiential learning component that evolved into a graduate program in sport facility and event management.

“This has resulted in dozens of our graduates managing facilities like Soldier Field in Chicago, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and several major college venues,” Veley said.

“The evolution of sport management from a small department to the Falk College of Sport, the first of its kind in the nation, simply would not be possible today if not for Pete’s engagement and commitment to academic excellence over the last 20 years,” Veley said.

As part of the University’s ongoing Link Hall STEM renewal project that is now entering its third phase, extensive upgrades will be made to the building this summer. Beginning Tuesday, May 14, Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) will work with a local contractor to complete the upgrades, which will be concentrated on the first floor.

Access to the building will be limited due to work occurring immediately inside building entrances. Signage will be posted at applicable entrances. Building access will be limited as follows:

• South Entrance (across from Shaffer Art):
  • Closed Tuesday, May 14, through end of day Tuesday, May 21
  • Reopen Wednesday, May 22, and will remain open until further notice
• West Entrance (at the Quad):
  • Open only for access to the Civil Engineering suite on the first floor from Tuesday, May 14, through end of day Friday, May 17
  • Closed Saturday, May 18, and will remain closed until further notice
• Link North/loading dock entrance and access through Slocum Hall: Will remain available at all times
• ADA Access:
  • Will remain available at all times at the Link North/loading dock entrance
  • Available at the South and West entrances when they are open
  • Access to building elevators will always be available through the North entrance, directly to the elevators on the basement level
• Elevators:
  • The elevators will be available to stop at all floors (except the first floor from May 14 through May 21) until further notice
  • ADA exterior access to/from the building will always remain available at the basement level and directly out the North entrance

From May 14 through May 17, first-floor access will be limited to the Civil Engineering suite.

Occupants of Link Hall should make modifications to their work, if necessary, during this period. Please contact Kim Cirman, CPDC senior project manager, at 315.391.3477 or kfcirmn@syr.edu with any questions or concerns.

The University’s Facilities Services team is known for working behind the scenes—without fanfare—to make University operations run smoothly and to handle unique situations. This past weekend, the team, together with local contractor Syracuse Haulers, pulled off a miracle of epic proportions.

The team’s weekend dispatcher, Seamus Moran, received a call from a student that they had accidentally put their passport in with items that they recycled. Moran notified the team’s weekend supervisor, Macky MacPherson, who in turn contacted Joe Lore, supervisor of facility maintenance and project services.

Lore immediately reached out to Steve Ruge, his contact at Syracuse Haulers, and asked that they put a hold on removing the contents of the recycling truck that had come from the University that day. Lore told Ruge he would be at the company’s East Syracuse facility at 7 a.m. on Monday morning to begin looking for the passport.

Lore did not hesitate to begin the search, even though he knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. For him, dad mode kicked in. “I realized it was next to impossible,” he says. “I kept thinking if it were my son or daughter though, I would at least want somebody to have looked for the passport, even if they did not find it.”

Syracuse Haulers placed the contents from the truck that had picked up the University’s recycling on Sunday into a large bay at their facility. Early Monday morning, Lore and Ruge began the search for the passport through more than three tons of recycling. “While we were looking, I said a prayer to St. Anthony, who is the patron saint of finding lost belongings,” Lore says.

Ruge found the passport 45 minutes later, and Lore was able to return it later that morning to the grateful student.

“Regardless of the task, the team always steps up and gets the job done—that is what we do,” says Pete Sala, vice president and chief campus facilities officer. “We are stewards of this campus, and our job is to help the students, faculty and staff, no matter what the challenge may be.”

Lore says this is the strangest request that he has ever seen during his time in Facilities Services. And he was glad he could help a student in need.

Not all superheroes wear capes.