12 North Shore Towers Courier n March 2015 SNOW BUSINESS Like No Business They Know! BY STEPHEN VRATTOS Keeping North Shore Towers from coming to a standstill during the brutal record-setting winters of the past few years is a Herculean task and logistical feat worthy of a 4-star general, one that takes the coordination and concerted efforts of the building staff, grounds crew and security personnel. But well before a single snowflake hits the ground, battle plans are being drawn. General Superintendent Steve Cairo and Grounds Superintendent Eric O’Neill continually monitor the weather using a combination of apps, The Weather Channel and area television stations, as well as a wellrespected and proven grass roots consultant with clients throughout the Northeast, to determine potential storms, their paths and subsequently their plan of attack. According to O’Neill, “This is the most difficult aspect of the job.” As a storm approaches, Cairo and O’Neill meets with Security Director Kris Debysingh, General Manager Glen Kowtowski and the superintendents of each of the three buildings to determine adequate personnel, work schedules, individual duties, catering everything on the type and extent of the impending system. Maps of the complex are color-coded with markers, indicating various zones, which are handed out to the workers who are each assigned a color, the area for which they will be responsible during the coming storm. Along with the entrance, the “big circle,” which fronts the three main buildings, and the smaller circles before each lobby, there are the guest parking areas; the drive way, which circumnavigates the fringe of North Shore Towers; the wide and deep ramp-ways of the three resident underground parking garages and maintenance areas; the paths and sidewalks; hydrants; and all the emergency exits and pathways that dot the buildings’ base that need to be cleared. Cairo points out that it is not unusual for he, his colleagues and their staffs to work 24/7 during a storm, but stresses that all employees are provided periods of sleep to ensure everyone is always at peak efficiency. This prevents undo accidents, which might occur as a result of fatigue. Thus, cots are set up in the maintenance areas as part of the weather preparations for an advancing storm. He and O’Neill stressed the importance of Greenthal General Manager Glen Kotowski, who is often among the round-theclock workers during a storm. “We couldn’t do it without him,” says Cairo. Photo by Steve Auerbach Photo by Stephen Vrattos
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