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After 13‑inch storm district crews cleared 153 acres of lots and 49 miles of sidewalks, operations director says
Summary
Olathe operations staff described the district’s response to a major snow event: 24 trucks, roughly 200 tons of salt, 6.7 million square feet plowed (about 153 acres) and more than 240 custodial staff clearing entryways and sidewalks to reopen schools.
Olathe Public Schools operations staff told the board they mobilized large crews after a weekend snowstorm that dumped an average of 10–13 inches across the district, clearing parking lots, drive lanes and sidewalks so school buildings could open.
Travis Palanges (presenting as the operations spokesperson) said crews pretreated lots and sidewalks, waited for city plows to make initial passes, then used district and contracted equipment to clear campus areas. "We started on Monday around noon… it took us about 2 hours to dig us out over the operation service center to be able to get our snow plows out," Palanges said.
Key response figures
Palanges told the board the district used roughly 200 tons of salt and plowed about 6,700,000 square feet of parking lots and drive lanes — approximately 153 acres, comparable to about 116 football fields. The district deployed about 24 trucks for plowing and later mobilized more than 240 custodial staff to clear entrances and primary sidewalks.
The custodial and operations teams prioritized primary walkways and fire‑exit areas before working secondary sidewalks; the district said it has roughly 49 miles of sidewalks to maintain. Palanges said the district coordinated with on‑call contractors, including Houston Contracting, and asked those contractors to assist at some middle and high‑school sites and at the transportation center.
Why the board heard it
Board members thanked operations, custodial and transportation staff for having school open after the storm. The staff presentation was informational; no action was required at the meeting.
Ending
Operations staff said they will continue to monitor conditions, address secondary sidewalks and ready sites for additional weather events. Board members requested no further formal motion.
