January 6, 1999
Keeping warm is part of job
By Garret Leiva
Herald staff writer
Sitting on an icy roof hammering in a nail. Spraying hundreds of gallons of water in a snowstorm. Trudging through snowdrifts for a postcard from Florida. What may sound like an exercise in futility for some, is all in a day's work for others.
Working outside this time of year takes more than a durable pair of Carharts, it also requires a rugged determination. Out here in the elements there are no padded desk chairs or cubicle walls insulated with Dilbert comic strips.
Perched along the shore of East Grand Traverse Bay, Larry Bachelder and his construction crew know all too well what the words 'lake effect' mean.
"Cold weather is always a factor, but that doesn't bother you as much as the wind," said the project manager of Bachelder Corp of Indian River, which is constructing the new Cherry Tree Inn. "It's already tipped the outhouse over twice on us."
Dealing with snow and wind on a daily basis, Bachelder noted that keeping the work site shoveled out and materials from freezing is an arduous task this time of year.
So is staying warm.
Workers dress in layers of long underwear, insulated pants, sweatshirts, Carhart jackets, Sorell boots and hard-hats with liners. And while wet gloves are warmed up by a heater, Bachelder discourages workers from following suit.
"Actually, it is better to stay away from the heat when you're outside because it works like a magnet - once you get next to it, you can't get away," Bachelder said.
Assembling concrete forms nearly two-stories off the ground, Tammy Aghty is far from the hissing temptation of any propane heater. While only a 7 days on the job, she has quickly learned to ignore the cold.
"After about 5 minutes of being cold, your hands get used to it and after a while you really don't think about the cold anymore," said Aghty, as she wired the joints of a concrete form together with her bare hands.
George Schoolcraft's hands are also used to working out in the freezing cold - although after 20 years he still slips on a pair of gloves. As foreman at the Cherry Tree Inn construction site, Schoolcraft tries to maintain warmth by keeping everyone busy. Winter, however, has a way of bringing things to a standstill.
"You move slower in the winter, you just don't get as much accomplished," said Schoolcraft, who had some slow going days of 20 degrees below zero while working construction in Alaska.
As a fellow construction worker, Bill Mouser also sees how the decrease in manpower and machine efficiency equates to the drop in temperature.
"Everyone is blowing on their hands trying to stay warm and equipment doesn't run as well," noted the site supervisor for Bay Shores Construction of Traverse City.
When asked whether wind or snow was more miserable to work in, construction veteran Tim Jones had a simple answer - yes.
"Probably a combination of both of them," said the Bay Shores Construction worker, a small icicle clinging to his mustache. "You put them all together and it's miserable."
Miserable might also describe the chore of spraying hundreds of gallons of water during a snow storm. But Ken Larson seemed unfazed by his watery task of flooding the ice rink at 14th and Pine Street.
"We work outside 52 weeks a year, it doesn't stop with winter," said the City Parks and Recreation employee who also trims trees and plows parking lots during the winter months. "A job like this one you make sure you're wearing a pair of gloves - the water coming out of that hose is pretty cold."
While Don Maki doesn't have to worry about pumping ice cold water, there are plenty of other elements that attempt to keep him from his appointed rounds. Snow, sleet, hail, dark of night - you name it, Maki has delivered mail in it.
"If you're out in a snowstorm that's not a whole lot of fun," said the walking route carrier, who has worked for the United States Post Office for 28 years.
Walking 7 miles a day on a loop that includes East Eight, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Streets, Maki honestly still enjoys winter. "I like walking in the snow sometimes when it's real quite," he said as he delivered card and letters to residents on East Eight Street Wednesday afternoon.
While watching the local weather forecast is crucial in his line of work, so is selecting the right pair of long underwear. "I have three pair I wear for different temperatures," noted Maki, who also sports Gortex insulated boots, two pair of socks and deerskin gloves.
There are those days, however, when it is best not to know the precise rating of the thermal underwear you have on.
"Sometimes you can't put a number on it," said hotel project manager Bachelder, referring to the howling wind and biting snow storms.
"You're better off not having an outside thermometer, because a part of you doesn't want to know what it is really like out there."