Do you know how much manpower and team work it takes to get the park ready to open to our guests on a daily basis? We have teams (grounds keepers, landscapers and maintenance teams) who begin their day at 7 a.m. and work through the morning to prepare the park for opening. Culinary teams begin their prep work next, and then all others report throughout the late morning into early afternoon.
Imagine all of this happening on a “normal” day. Now, throw in some snow and ice to the mix and the effort nearly doubles. With almost a mile worth of pathways, de-icing the park can be a daunting task.
Last Friday morning proved it is not an easy task. We had to try and gather teams to tackle the covered pathways for a park opening at 3 p.m. We had about 25 people with snow shovels and another 10 people with metal shovels to help break the ice and move it. We had team members spreading Ice Melt with seed spreaders and shakers and our grounds team members were using backpack blowers to help move loose snow, ice and water. With all departments working together, this task was completed, and in good time. Only one area of the park was opened 20 minutes late. Not too shabby for Virginians.
Our goal is to constantly provide excellence to our guests, and it starts with the teams behind the scenes. Thanks to everyone who was instrumental in preparing the park for a great opening Friday, and a nice transition to winter.
