More buses. A covered path. A secret tunnel. Converting North Building to freshmen only.

Everyone has heard the “solutions” to walking the path, and Operations Manager Tom Wagner is no different.

Wagner said his office takes the requests from students into consideration, but it isn’t as simple as students think.

Covering the path, for example, has been a proposal for many years.

“We’ve been talking about this for years,” Wagner said. “Even if we covered it, you’d have to cross traffic at some point and then we’d have to build a bridge; the cost is just a little bit more than we can handle. And another problem with it is the maintenance factor.”

Sophomore Brianna Meyers doesn’t buy it. She says that the staff at school don’t listen to students because they don’t have to walk the path.

“They get to ride golf carts on the path but expect us to be on time,” Meyers said.

Sophomore Sydney Hayes said she wants bus service for temperatures below 15 or above 95.

“I feel like H-F is like the Titanic because they didn’t have enough life boats, and we don’t have enough buses,” she said.

Dramatic comparisons aside, the district has a plan for different types of weather, including when the district will provide students with shuttle service.

“When it hits zero degrees, we have bus service for sure; it’s a no brainer. Even if we are unsure if we will need it, the bus drivers and services are always on standby,” Wagner said.

When bus service isn’t provided,  students often say that the path is too cold, too icy, too long or too windy.

Senior Vivien Makos says that these complaints have decreased through the years.

“I’ve noticed that, in my freshman year, there was definitely a lot more complaining about the path,” Makos said. “But as I’ve gone through high school, you just learn to deal with it. Sometimes the path is going to be good and sometimes you’ll be bombarded by freak weather.”

Some students say the adults do not take the complaints students have seriously.

“If they took them seriously, we wouldn’t have to walk in extreme weather conditions,” Hayes said. “They should cover the path or make it underground.”

Even though a covered path isn’t plausible at this time, Wagner says the maintenance team tries its hardest to make sure students have a clear path to walk.

“There are times we [plow snow] three or four times before you guys get here, and it’s still not enough,” Wagner said. “If it comes down at 10 a.m. and stops, your path is clear. If it’s coming at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3 a.m., your path may be clear. But if it falls at 5 or 6, it won’t be cleared by 7. We’re at its mercy just like you guys are.”

More bad weather is anticipated by maintenance crew.

“The farmer’s almanac and all the scientific proof say it is going to be very snowy and cold, just about how it was last year,” Wagner said.

Makos has some advice to help students through the long, wet winter.

“You just have to learn to be prepared for whatever. You know, keep an umbrella and a scarf in your backpack,” Makos said.