Education | Higher education » Los Angeles, Calif., University of Southern California

Source: http://www.doksinet September/October 2007 Volume 31, Number 5 Los Angeles, Calif., University of Southern California The USC grounds program is a 2006 Honor Award recipient in the Urban University Grounds category. This site and fellow Honor Award winners University of Maryland, University of Tennessee - Martin and Harvey Mudd College are profiled in this issue of PGMS Forum. (See page 6 for more details about this 2006 Green Star Award recipient) Source: http://www.doksinet Michael Mongon, CGM - Fairview Country Club President’s Farewell Back to School for YOU! S imilar to many of you, I am very excited about our upcoming School of Grounds Management & newly aligned GIEEXPO. I can’t wait to see how this newly formatted extravaganza unfolds. It should be one for the history books The Forum Newsletter is published six times a year by the Professional Grounds Management Society 720 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21230 410-223-2861 / Fax 410-752-8295 Email:

pgms@assnhqtrs.com www.PGMSorg Board of Directors: President Michael Mongon, CGM President-Elect Greg Nichols Vice Pres. Gene Pouly, CGM Treasurer Monica Higgins, CGM Past Pres. Ellen Newell, CGM Directors Walter Bonvell Donald Bottger, CGM Kevin Harvey, CGM Monica Higgins, CGM Joseph Jackson, CGM Michael Loftus, CGM Jock Robertson Ken Stanton, CGM John Van Etten, CGM Staff Thomas C. Shaner, CAE Executive Director Jenny Smith Society Coordinator Monica Shaner Financial Manager Eric Grammer Communications Manager Opinions expressed in PGMS Forum are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily express the opinions or policies of the PGMS Board and its membership. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. 2 Like you, I can’t wait for the newly expanded Outdoor Product Demonstration that will be open all three days of the show. Better yet, this 20acre outdoor demonstration area is just outside the doors of the Kentucky

Exposition Center - the only such facility in the U.S that offers such a large outdoor turf area just a few steps from the indoor exhibits. Just think you’ll be able to see the latest product releases indoors and then in a matter of minutes be able to try them for yourself and compare them with the competition in the demo park. Another new and exciting feature to this year’s program are two free nights of concerts at Fourth Street Live! Located in Louisville’s premier dining and entertainment district and featuring acts such as Three Dog Night and Diamond Rio these concerts will provide attendees with a great way to unwind after a day of education, networking and brushing up on the latest green industry technology. And best yet, it won’t be a budget buster – it’s FREE. And here’s an interesting tidbit Did you know that from 1969-1974, nobody had more Top-10 hits than Three Dog Night? I hope you are as excited as I am about this addition to our annual School! Can this

program get any better? Well, considering the School & GIEEXPO are still offering hundreds of vendors, over 60 educational sessions to choose from, and firstrate networking programs such as the PGMS Breakfast of Champions and Class Field Trip as it has for years, the new features mentioned above just complement what is already grounds management’s premiere buying, selling and learning experience. Knowing all that awaits you at the School of Grounds Management, why haven’t YOU registered yet? There is still time to make your plans, but NOW is the time to do it! The quickest way to register is to visit PGMS online at www.pgmsorg/ 2007groundsschool.htm I hope to see you there Excellence. This is really what the grounds management profession is all about After all, there is nowhere to hide. Grounds that aren’t up to par stand out like a sore thumb. Our end users don’t see the budget crunches or lack of support that many of us are faced with on a daily basis. But, they do see

the end product and judge us accordingly, regardless of the resources we are given. Each of us are charged with the task of making a dollar out of 15 cents. The secret to finding success? Learning best practices from others - whether it be through education, networking, or finding the best equipment – is the key. And being involved in PGMS is your best place to unlock success. Whether or not you make it to the School this year, make the rapidly approaching 2008 the year you get involved in advancing your grounds and your career! Enter the Green Star Awards. Write an article for PGMS Forum and share your expertise. Get involved with your local Branch’s activities. Regretfully, this is my final column to you as PGMS President. However, the Society will be in great hands this coming year with Greg Nichols of Bryn Mawr College ascending to the presidency. Greg is a source of endless energy and enthusiasm and he will serve us all well. Sincerely, Michael Mongon, CGM PGMS President

Source: http://www.doksinet 3 Source: http://www.doksinet Cutting Edge Professionals Join Us in Welcoming Our Newest Members Donna Anderson Douglas Kokesh David Riggs University of Maryland Baltimore County Humboldt State University Mountain View Memorial Park & Funeral Home Arcata, CA Baltimore, MD Lakewood, WA Francisco Lopez John Bohr Sylmar, CA Jean Saliter Pride Grows Batavia, IL Robert Lynn Salisbury, CT Jim Crothers Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas Grand Geneva Resort & Spa Las Vegas, NV Rod Smith Wayne McCutcheon Catalpa Landscape Management and Design Chris Denson University of Alberta Newnan, GA Unicco Service Co./ University of Miami Edmonton, CANADA Coral Gables, FL Sharon Miller Henderson Housing Authority Richardson Landscape Henderson, NC Lake Geneva, WI Adam Falkenmey J. Smith Clarendon, PA Shirley Trier Turning Stone Resort & Casino Verona, NY Shannen Ferry Romain Miller Davey Resource Group Univ. of Missouri - Columbia

Jacksonville, FL Columbia, MO Rich Valentine Coosa Valley Tech. College Rome, GA Joshua Murphy Bryn Mawr, PA Leominster, MA Jody Fetzer Bethesda, MD Brian Gardner Jeffrey Weiser Steve Nixon KW Landscaping UC Davis Buildings & Grounds Damascus, MD Davis, CA Pamela Yuger B. Gardner Group Huntersville, NC James Gorski Brett O’Brien City of Bell Gardens Columbia Parks and Recreation Bell Gardens, CA Columbia, MO Dave Zenk City of North Kansas City North Kansas City, MO Paul Hellwig Fernando Reyna Metroparks of the Toledo Area Arizona State University Toledo, OH Peoria, AZ Town of Carrboro Carrboro, NC Randall Joliff Southport, NC 4 Kimberly Rhode Kutztown University Kutztown, PA Source: http://www.doksinet Source: http://www.doksinet PGMS Green Stars Honor Big Men LEFT: The “M” on the University of Maryland’s main thoroughfare is created from 1,500 annuals. ABOVE: The University’s urban setting and high level of commuters makes snow

management a high priority. he 2006 PGMS Green Star Award winners were announced during ceremonies at the 2006 PGMS School of Grounds Management & GIE on the evening of Saturday, November 4. The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence. The program complements other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction by honoring the grounds superintendent responsible for maintaining a well-manicured landscape year round. This year’s program acknowledged the nation’s top grounds in settings ranging from parks to apartment complexes to universities. Overall, PGMS presented 14 Grand Awards, its highest honor, as well as 12 Honor Awards in a dozen categories of competition. 6 In this issue of PGMS Grounds Management Forum, we take a look at the Honor Award winners in the Urban University Grounds category: the University of Maryland in the greater Washington, DC metro

area and University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Also profiled are the University of Tennessee at Martin and Harvey Mudd College in the University and College Grounds category. URBAN UNIVERSITY GROUNDS UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND University of College Park, Md. Employees: 80 full time, 6 temporary Budget: $3,000,000 Acres Maintained: 1,400 acres Located only eight miles from the nation’s capital, the University of Maryland in College Park is a flourishing green haven located in the middle of a city. Bill Monan, assistant director of landscape services, leads a crew of 80 professionals in maintaining the pristine 1,400 acre campus. The main campus alone has over 800 acres of turf, 22 miles of sidewalks, 12 miles of roadways and Source: http://www.doksinet on Campus LEFT: A new installation on the University of Maryland’s Van Munching quad. ABOVE: This landscape at Memorial Chapel is just part of the rotation of 40,000 annuals and 22 acres of bedding area spread throughout

the University of Maryland campus, located just outside of Washington, D.C Monan and his crew have proven they are up to the approximately 350 acres of impermeable surfaces. task. “We have to stick with red, yellow Monan varies plantings with and white school colors so there is a each season in the 22 acres certain limitation as to what can be used of bedding area spread but generally I use pansies and begonias,” throughout the campus. He Monan says. explains, “Each bed holds A campus with a daily about 30,000 annuals and population swelling up to 50,000 students are on an annual rotation. adds an extra degree of difficulty in The biggest plantings are keeping the landscape healthy and pansies in the fall and attractive. “The heavy pedestrian traffic spring. In the summer, I use and urban environment puts heavy a rotation of 5-7 annuals pressure on the landscape which requires including begonias, a dedicated landscape team in order to azaleas, shrubs and salvia.” maintain a

quality and professional New this year, the grounds environment,” he says. Monan and his crew has introduced native crew have had to give up some areas to ABOVE: The Terps’ grounds crew has Maryland plants, flowers walkways as well as establish plantings also had to remedy recent flood and other vegetation into that direct people away from walking on damage to the streams on campus. the landscape. the turf, etc. Annual aerations, intensive One of the biggest attractions on campus is the “M” planting that is created detailed maintenance and use of the 40 irrigation systems on campus also helps to alleviate this problem. from 1,500 annuals and welcomes visitors as they drive onto the main campus. Keeping this planting looking attractive all year long proves to be a challenge, but continued on page 9 7 Source: http://www.doksinet PGMS BRANCH Update DC Branch Summer Field Day Draws a Crowd; Nearly 500 in Attendance Nearly 500 grounds professionals from all across the greater DC

metro area traveled to American University in Washington, D.C on Thursday, July 19, to attend educational events and field day sessions on four subjects including trees, landscape design/architecture, turf, and landscape maintenance. Attendees also enjoyed a trade show featuring industry exhibitors showcasing all the latest equipment, a picnic lunch and local bluegrass music. Below are several photos from the event Philadelphia Branch Summer Event Draws 150 On Thursday July 12, 2007 the Philadelphia Branch of PGMS, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and Swarthmore College teamed up for a day of learning, food and fun. Over 150 green industry professionals and 15 grounds maintenance equipment dealers and suppliers gathered for the event. In the morning there were five different educational sessions to choose from. The Scott Arboretum staff led tours throughout the day where you could see one of the best plant collections in the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia Branch would like to

thank Jeff Jabco, director of grounds at Swarthmore, his staff and Swarthmore College for hosting the event. 8 Over 150 professionals caught up on green industry trends at the Philadelphia Branch 2007 Summer Field Day Source: http://www.doksinet Green Star Awards continued from page 7 To maximize efficiency, the grounds team is broken up into six crews, each with their own zone on campus and led by a crew leader. Each crew is given specific tasks to complete. For example, the morning crew is responsible for all of the big mowing, leaf removal and snow removal when needed and the outside construction crew maintains all garden walls, foundations, irrigation repairs, brick work, walkways and patios. General maintenance tasks for the crew include pest control, street sweeping and parking lot cleaning. An outside contractor is brought in for any large tree maintenance. Tuition reimbursement to any Maryland state university is one of the perks of being part of the grounds crew.

Attending courses at the University of Maryland or other state institutions is highly encouraged. The staff also receives weekly in-house training, time off to attend classes and the ability to attend seminars at off-campus locations. In order to keep up with the latest trends and applications, crew leaders are required to attend pesticide education and to be re-certified each year. In addition to the high volume of daily traffic, the campus hosts several outdoor events that can attract as many as 80,000 visitors onto campus. Events such as “Maryland Day” take up to three weeks of advance preparation that includes mapping of equipment setup, mulching and aeration of the turf. Although trash is the biggest concern, the staff must also deal with the major compaction and wear and tear on the turf from all of the heavy foot traffic. Re-sodding and irrigation after the events are used to control and repair any damage to the turf and surrounding area. Security issues are a newer

challenge for Monan and his crew, particularly in this post-September 11 environment. Being so close to Washington, DC, Monan has had to make updated security changes to the campus. In a project completed this year, the grounds crew created “target hardening areas” which are secure locations that make it difficult for people to get through. “We put in soft security barriers where we use the landscape such as trees, rocks, hills, and hedges so vehicles can’t get around them,” he says. Another challenge the grounds crew faced this past year was flood damage to the streams on campus due to the flooding of the Paint Branch watershed. Monan and his continued on page 10 ABOVE: The University of Maryland campus’ daily population of 50,000, adds an extra degree of difficulty in keeping the landscape healthy and attractive. 9 Source: http://www.doksinet Green Star Awards continued from page 9 LEFT: The University of Southern California campus is located on 170 acres in

downtown Los Angeles. ABOVE: All grounds maintenance, including athletic fields and stadiums, is done in-house, demanding an organized system. crew had the difficult task of determining which trees could be saved while trying to preserve the banks of the streams. “It costs $5,000 per tree to use the crane for removal. In order to protect the stream and the banks from further damage, we could not put any equipment into the water,” Monan says. With the hard work and dedication of the grounds crew, the trees were safely removed without any damage to the stream or banks. New projects are a high priority for the grounds crew. An effective recycling program has been established on campus where the grounds crew recycles everything possible. Leaves that are collected from the campus are hauled to a center off campus where they are turned into compost to be used as fertilizer. The managed irrigation systems used for watering the grounds saves water by filtrating runoff in certain areas. He

explains, “We are looking into manageable sustainable methods. It’s an evolving process but we are starting awareness with it.” Completed this year was a student funded and student led tree mapping that identified over 6,000 trees throughout the urban campus. Monan explains, “The students created a GPS system that identified the trees, the type of species, where they are and what condition they are in.” Once the trees are given a number and put into the database, they are color coded for maintenance and plotted on a map. “This map shows the underground roots and pipe systems and helps to integrate tree spacing with construction as well as help with the planning and plotting of future trees” he says. The University of Maryland grounds team uses dedication, hard work and attention to detail to manage and continually enhance this urban campus. Maintaining 10 over 1,400 acres in such a busy locale is no easy feat but Monan and his crew have proved it can be done with

excellence. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Los Angeles, Calif. Employees: 37 full time Budget: $1,500,000 Acres Maintained: 170 acres In 1880 the University of Southern California (USC) opened its doors to 53 students and 10 teachers. Today, it is a world class research university and the oldest private research university in the western United States boasting a student population of 33,000. The grounds and landscape crew led by Eric Johnson, assistant director of buildings and grounds, has the tough job of maintaining the 170-acre campus in downtown Los Angeles including 50 acres of turf, 20,000 square feet of annual flower beds, 4,363 trees and 50 miles of streets, sidewalks and parking lots. The crew of 37 is divided up among six zones (four zones on campus and two off campus) and includes a mow crew and a weekend/trash crew. Each zone has three crew members and a team leader. Crew schedules run Tuesday-Saturday and Sunday-Thursdays. Zone evaluations are performed weekly for

each crew by a manager, supervisor and team leader. “The evaluations are to rate the safety, quality of maintenance, and overall health and aesthetics of the landscape,” Johnson says. Items rated include turf condition, trash cans, flower beds and mowing among Source: http://www.doksinet ABOVE: USC’s balmy California climate allows for an array of plants, flowers and trees to be used in the landscape, proving to be an aid and challenge to the grounds crew. RIGHT: Opening its doors to 53 students and 10 teachers in 1880, USC now boasts a student population of 33,000. many others and are rated on a scoring system of onefive, five being outstanding. He explains, “Scores are posted and discussed with each zone to explain the rating and reaffirm expectations.” All maintenance and work for the campus, including the athletic fields and stadiums, is done inhouse which demands an organized system. “Each area of every zone is thoroughly detailed at least once a month. A

color-coordinated schedule is prepared that shows which areas are detailed for every week,” Johnson explains. General maintenance of the zones includes trimming and cleaning of planter beds, ground cover and shrubs and liter pickup. Other tasks include providing event support, maintenance projects and supporting the campus wide recycling program. As with other large, urban universities, the grounds crew constantly battles with the damaging effects of foot, bike and vehicle traffic. “Deer trails” or worn paths where students and staff have cut through corners on the turf require constant seeding and repair as often as eight times a year. The USC grounds team has combated these challenges by creating a system that rewards hard work and merit. The Pay for Skills Program, developed and implemented by the team, compensates employees with pay increases for demonstrated proficiencies. Each employee starts at the entry level, trains on a block of skills and must master them before they

are signed off as proficient and allowed to move to the next level. With each added level, the employee receives the allocated compensation. This allows each employee to move at their own pace and puts the responsibility of improving their skills in their hand. The dynamic test is constantly being upgraded with changes, for example, if the grounds crew has to learn a new piece of equipment. “This program gives us a standard to work from. It shows us what the employee has learned rather than just looking at how much time they have put in,” Johnson explains. In addition to the campus’ general areas, the athletic fields and stadiums on campus require an immense amount of detailed maintenance. Turf is mowed four to five times a week during growing season and is aerated as much as possible. In order to keep the turf healthy, Johnson uses 15 lbs of nitrogen and 10 lbs of potassium throughout the year. The playing fields must be worked and dragged daily and watered three to five times

a day depending on the weather. Being located in the balmy California climate both helps and hinders the job of the grounds crew. The climate allows for an array of plants, flowers and trees to be used in the landscape. The trees on campus are consistently magnolias, jacarandas and sycamores while shrubs are constantly revolving and include wheelers dwarf and boxwoods. Johnson says, “I replace flowers four times a year depending on the season and typically plant petunias, marigolds, inpatients, pansies and begonias.” USC’s colors red and yellow are used predominately throughout the entire campus. The weather can also pose serious challenges for the grounds crew year round. Johnson elaborates, “Drought continued on page 14 11 Source: http://www.doksinet Help Advance Professionalism in Grounds Management Help Your Peers Advance Their Skills By Participating in the PGMS List Serv Have YOU signed up for the PGMS List Serv? RECENT DISCUSSION If not, what are YOU waiting for?

TOPIC: Safety Toe Shoes Don’t wait until you have a question, your peers need YOUR help NOW! Help your colleagues and help advance the grounds management profession by joining the list and responding to members. In the last month alone we have had several question from fellow PGMS members go unanswered (they are posted to the right). Don’t leave them hanging in the wind - help them out! After all advancing professionalism among our peers helps everyone. If you haven’t joined, what are you waiting for? TO JOIN THE LIST, simply send an email with “Subscribe me to PGMS EForum” in the subject line to ericgrammer@assnhqtrs.com Please include your name in the e-mail, so we can confirm your membership. We are hoping that all members will join this list to provide a broad support network and knowledge base for members and potential members. After a hot start, the E-Forum has slowed down quite a bit within the last few months. Assuming that you have as many questions now as you did

six months ago, this raises the question, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” Your colleagues are ready and waiting to share their knowledge and answer your questions. Send those questions to groundsmanagementforum@pgms.org Further information is available at http://www.pgmsorg/members/eforumhtm 12 How many of you require your grounds crew to wear safety toe shoes? Phil Shirk Manager Grounds and Landscaping Milton Hershey School ANSWERS We require all field/shop personnel as well as supervisors to wear safety toe shoes/boots. Dwayne D’Ardenne, CGM Landscape Coordinator City of Roanoke Dept. of Public Works At Appleton Parks and Recreation Department it is required that all employees, full time to summer seasonals,wear safety toe shoes. The summer staff needs to have these from their first day of work at their expense. Full time employees get a small reimbursement according to contract. Larry Buck Operations Manager City of Roanoke Dept. of Public Works I have read your responses with

interest. It appears most responses are from park and recreation depts. I am wondering if there is a government driven rule to require safety toe wear. I have not seen anyone say no as if they might incriminate themselves. I have never worked a grounds or arborist position which this was a requirement, although I have purchased and worn safety toe footwear on my own desire. Gerald Landby Director of Grounds Carroll College At Arizona State University we require safety shoes if you operate equipment such as tractors, mowers, or such. If you use just hand tools, tennis shoes are acceptable. We had about the same policy when I worked at Utah State University. As far as I know these were department rules that just made sense and not dictated by a higher authority. Ellen Newell, CGM Assistant Director Grounds Services Arizona State University Source: http://www.doksinet 13 Source: http://www.doksinet Green Star Awards continued from page 11 LEFT: North entry to the University of

Tennessee at Martin’s Hall-Moody Administration Building. ABOVE: Boling University Center and Paul Meek Laboratory courtyard area. Due to a tight budget, many of the flowers and plants are grown onsite. is an issue all year round and irrigation is the biggest challenge. Effective irrigation management is crucial to the way our landscape looks.” The central control system that is used is updated daily depending on the weather and uses flow and moisture sensing to efficiently irrigate the campus. Developed this year was the Campus Tree Master Plan used to guide decisions, maintenance practices and manage the campus’ urban forest. ArborPro Management Software, a global positioning system, is used to map and store data on all trees on campus. “The Master Plan allows us to store specific data such as the history of the tree, when it was trimmed last and when it dropped a branch. It allows us to set procedures and focus on long and short term goals,” Johnson says. USC is host to

hundreds of events a year, with commencement ceremonies and football games bringing more than 40,000 people onto campus at a time. “During football season, the entire campus is generally used as a tailgate,” Johnson says. Events on campus keep the grounds crew busy with irrigating and aerating turf, fertilizing the lawns and cleaning up trash and liter. “The groundskeepers will have the entire campus cleaned up as if no event took place,” he boasts. A unique challenge the USC grounds crew faces is scheduling around commercial filming that takes place on campus. With commercials, TV programs and movies being filmed on campus, the grounds crew must work their schedules around them in order to protect against bothersome noise. “The biggest issue to deal with is altering normal routine duties to accommodate the various film crews,” Johnson explains. For example, the mow crew 14 will start earlier or later in the day depending upon when filming is occurring. He says, “Either

way, flexibility is key to working on the landscape crew.” Unique in its challenges and developing programs, the USC campus has been created into a popular destination thanks to the hard work of the landscape and grounds crew. UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE GROUNDS UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT MARTIN Martin, Tenn. Employees: 10 full time, 15 students Budget: $426,955 Acres Maintained: 500 acres It’s not easy to maintain a 500-acre university campus on a shoestring budget, but Tim Nipp, director of the physical plant at the University of Tennessee at Martin has the skills, expertise and talented staff to get the job done. With 6,500 students on campus, Nip faces the same challenges as other mid-size universities. The University of Tennessee at Martin, as part of the Ohio Valley Conference, houses a number of athletic fields including a soccer field, baseball/softball diamond, and football field, which is also used by the local high school. The maintenance of these fields, as well as all of

the turf on campus, is done solely by Nip and his physical plant staff of ten professionals. “The high school pays a users fee to use the football field but all maintenance is done in-house,” Nip says. Maintaining these areas can be a challenge for the small Source: http://www.doksinet ABOVE: A wide variety of trees on campus not only provide beauty and shade but are also used as an outdoor classroom laboratory. RIGHT: With very little irrigation on campus due to budget restrictions, it is a challenge to maintain vibrant beds that attract visitor to campus. Another challenge the crew faces is keeping the landscape crew but they overcome it by splitting the flower beds full of vibrant flowers and plants despite a tight team up among zones as well as assigning specific tasks budget. Nip and his crew utilize an onsite greenhouse in order to each crew member. to grow their own varieties to plant on campus. Nip said, “We Students from the university make up a large part buy

seedlings and plant them to grow of the landscape crew. The students, who our own flowers and plants. It can be are usually studying landscape, very labor intensive but we have the agriculture or engineering, volunteer help of a student crew.” their time to help with the greenhouse The campus is widely and other landscape duties on campus known throughout the state for including mowing. “We depend on their collection of trees. Students students a lot. They really do a super job on campus took part in an and take pride in their work on campus.” academic project where they Nip explains. The students are part of the studied each tree, determined the landscape crew throughout the entire variety and labeled it for year with the summer season being their instructional purposes. “We have peak volunteering time. Nip says, “They 100 year old trees on campus,” all play a very important role in what Nip says. “Area high schools, we do. We have the best group of middle schools and

elementary permanent people here and they get a schools come to our campus to lot out of working with the students. It’s study and use these trees as part of a great partnership.” ABOVE: A majory pedestrian corridor their curriculum.” Weather also poses a challenge on the University of Tennesse at Although the campus has throughout the year, especially in the Martin campus. an abundance of trees, Nip and his winter and summer months. Nip and his crew have struggled with enhancing crew have to deal with both ends of the the campus which is predominately composed of buildings, spectrum when it comes to weather. “We deal with 100+ sidewalks and concrete patios. “We were challenged to degree heat in the summer but then we do have snowfall provide the students with a more pleasing, less arid occasionally,” he explains. Because they are not geared environment,” Nip explains. In the last two years the crew to battle the snow, the landscape crew often reports to has taken on

several projects to enhance the look of the work extra early to shovel and clear the parking lots and sidewalks for staff and students. continued on page 17 15 Source: http://www.doksinet Davey Tree Ad on Disk 16 Source: http://www.doksinet Green Star Awards continued from page 15 LEFT: A garden of daylilies at the Norman F. Sprague Memorial Library Courtyard on the Harvey Mudd College Campus ABOVE: A pear tree in a bed of Star Jasmine is flanked by beds of daylilies to the left and right. campus. The physical plant crew installed a “pondless water feature” in a high traffic area on campus in order to provide a cooling effect. This feature has become a haven for students who enjoy sitting by it to get a break from the heat. Although providing an aesthetically pleasing, safe and stimulating environment can be difficult on a tight budget, Nipp and his crew have proved they are doing more with less. Through creative ideas and simple landscape techniques, the University of

Tennessee at Martin has become a haven for students and the community as well as a 2006 PGMS Green Star. HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE Claremont, Calif. Employees: 5 full time Budget: $130,000 Acres Maintained: 27 acres Harvey Mudd College, one of seven colleges located in Claremont, Calif., is home to the Norman F Sprague Memorial Library Courtyard, a patio area that not only serves as a common space for students and staff but also as the roof to a basement level facility that houses a 600-seat auditorium, classrooms, offices, meeting rooms and laboratories. The courtyard forms the primary academic area on campus. Maintaining this patio rooftop has proved to be a challenging job but one that Facilities Manager Michael Barber and his crew are more than qualified for. “The patio is a quiet and relaxing area where students, faulty and staff can sit under the trees and umbrellas to relax, study, meet or take their lunch break,” Barber explains. Planters and flower beds filled with daylilies

and roses fill the patio along with pear trees, Japanese boxwoods, Star Jasmine and Jacaranda trees. These planters, although enjoyable to look at, were causing massive problems for the facilities crew. “The shorter planters in the patio area supported 12 inches of soil and vegetation. The combination of the two in conjunction with a spray head type of irrigation system led to many problems such as water retention, stained concrete, algae growth, slippery walkways and ceiling leaks in the facility below,” Barber says. To remedy this problem Barber replaced 120 sprinklers with a drip irrigation system. “The new vegetation is successfully supported with minimal water usage. By using less water in the planters we have eliminated all the past problems in this area,” he explains. Skateboard and bicycle traffic is another issue Barber and his crew battle on a daily basis. Barber says, “People like to ride the skateboards and bikes up on the railings and retaining walls causing

damage to the structure. We had to put guards along these surfaces in order to curb this behavior.” On the average, Barber’s crew of five professionals spends up to two hours maintaining this area every day. “Jacaranda tree leaf litter makes it quite difficult to keep the area clean but it’s a group effort,” he says. On a daily basis the crew does routine maintenance such as cleaning up the flower beds, checking that the umbrellas, tables and chairs are in good working order and the occasional litter pick up. In an effort to accommodate the 1,000 plus students and staff who visit the patio area every day and continued on page 20 17 Source: http://www.doksinet Cutting Edge Tips You’ve Hired 99 Seasonal Employees, Most First Time Hires in Grounds Maintenance. What the Heck Are You Going to do Next? Michigan State University’s Gerald Hobbs, CGM Hosted a Field Day The Michigan State University (MSU) Grounds Department maintains over 2,500 acres of landscaped campus areas

as well as two 18-hole golf courses. Each year, seasonal employees are hired to assist the Grounds Department. In early spring, 99 student and nonstudent seasonal employees were hired for the 2007 growing season. Some had worked with the MSU Grounds Department in the past, but most were first-time hires in grounds maintenance. This presented the Grounds Department management team with the logistical problem of training all seasonal employees in the basics of landscape installation and maintenance as well as safe, effective equipment operation and maintenance. front-line staff to act as station leaders. With management coaches and front-line station leaders identified, a full-staff meeting was held to explain the concept and training purpose of Field Day. All employees were invited to work as station members, and participation across normal areas of expertise was strongly encouraged. Each of the thirteen stations had a management coach, a front-line station leader, and two or three

front-line station members. Station groups were then challenged to come up with 20- to 25-minute oral presentations concerning their particular station topics. Station leaders set convenient meeting times during working hours so station members could discuss and develop their presentations. Management coaches provided guidance and assistance as needed. Every station group was challenged to come up with at least three clear concepts that Each of the 13 stations had a seasonal employees would need to understand management coach, a front-line to properly perform their work. In addition, each station leader, and two or three station group developed an outdoor demonstration front-line station members. area complete with visual aids, such as The management team determined a equipment, tools, signs, and photos. Station new approach for training was needed members also collaborated in writing their station that would involve full-time, non-supervisory, front-line employees since seasonal

employees worked primarily with front-line staff. This concept was further developed during the spring to become the first MSU Grounds Department Field Day. PGMS Job Site The management team decided to use rotating stations for training in the following topics: · Large and small mower operation · Weedeaters and backpack blowers · Utility carts · Yard maintenance · Personal protective equipment and lifting · Greasing, fluid checks, and equipment washing · Pruning · Airspading and mulching · Landscape and tree protection · Proper planting techniques · Trailer hook-up and operation · High Ranger usage · Irrigation systems With station topics identified, each management team member volunteered to act as a coach for three to four stations. Management team coaches then approached and encouraged 18 Grounds Maintenance Manager Miami University- Oxford, OH Manages the grounds maintenance activities and coordination of special events, storm fighting, and student employment.

Degree in landscape horticulture and 10 years experience required. Visit Miami’s website for complete position information: www.muohioedu Apply to: stossk@muohio.edu Miami University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Groundskeeping Assistant Private Estate - Potomac, MD Private estate in Potomac, MD seeking experienced individuals to assist the grounds manager and head gardener with all aspects of grounds keeping. Contact patricia@glenstone.org Source: http://www.doksinet presentations which then became chapters for an MSU Grounds Department training manual. Station members were expected to become familiar with and comfortable giving the presentation for their own stations. In April 2007, station groups were ready to do a dry run, giving their presentations to management coaches who gave advice for improving the quality and content of the presentations. In spite of initial nervousness and apprehension, each station member received strong encouragement building

confidence for a successful Field Day. The dry run also created interest among the station groups, On Field Day, the 13 stations were set up around the MSU Grounds Department and requests came from the staff for building. At each station, seasonal employees participated in the training and had permission to attend presentations at their station-tracking cards signed off by a station member as proof of participation. other stations. Field Day was set for the morning of May 8, and the members alike felt that they learned valuable information during schedule adjusted to accommodate these requests. Field Day training. Many station members shared how it helped them to research and organize their particular station topics. On Field Day, 13 stations were set up around the MSU Grounds Department building. Seasonal employees reported to the The success of the MSU Grounds Department Field Day was break room and received copies of the presentation manuals indicated by: and a brief orientation on

how Field Day would proceed. Eight · The high number of positive comments from both groups were formed, each with a group leader who was given station members and seasonal trainees along with a map of station locations. Groups proceeded to their starting many suggestions for improvement. Participants stations and were instructed that when the air horn was blown, commented that the entire Field Day should be filmed they were to go to the next station. At each station, seasonal and shared with other institutions nationwide. employees participated in the training and had their station· The development of an MSU Grounds Department tracking cards signed off by a station member as proof of manual as a tool for future training. participation. · The sense of ownership created by the collaborative process of developing Field Day and the sharing by The first MSU Grounds Department Field Day went smoothly the entire Grounds Department staff of the burden for and was considered a success.

Station groups exhibited strong training a large group of new employees. enthusiasm and, in several cases, employees who typically · The development of presentations by several station would not give public presentations gave their portions of the members covering topics not typically part of their station presentations with confidence. After Field Day training daily work assignments. was completed, a lunch of pizza and drinks was served to all · The confidence gained by front-line staff as they participants. Afterward, each station member and seasonal developed and presented portions of the training employee completed an evaluation form to determine what sessions and the pride and cohesiveness developed participants felt they learned during Field Day, what they among the entire Grounds Department staff. liked about Field Day, and what comments they had to aw improve the Field Day experience for next year. Evaluation The MSU Grounds Department is looking forward to next year’s

comments indicated that seasonal employees and station Field Day experience! 19 Source: http://www.doksinet Slate of PGMS Board Nominees Announced PGMS has announced the recommended slate for election of officers and directors of the Society for the 2007 administrative year. Elections will take place during the annual Members Meeting which will take place on Friday, October 26, 2007, 6:45 a.m during the PGMS School of Grounds Management & GIEEXPO in Louisville, Ky. The PGMS Nominating Committee recommends: ABOVE: The Norman F. Sprague Memorial Library Courtyard is the central area on the Harvey Mudd College campus with a patio area that not only serves as a common space for students and staff but also as the roof to a basement-level facility housing a 600-seat auditorium, classrooms, offices, meeting rooms and laboratories. Green Star Awards (continued from page 17) keep this area quiet and peaceful, the facilities crew works from 6 a.m to 8 a.m in the courtyard before the

students and staff arrive on campus Barber is a firm believer in continuing education outside of the campus. He encourages his employees to attend seminars and conferences. “The staff will come to me with an event they want to attend and I look into it for them and see what arrangements we can make,” he says. Another benefit the facilities department employees enjoy is a 50% discount for their children’s tuition if they attend Harvey Mudd. “That’s a $25,000 value,” he explains Barber and his facilities staff at Harvey Mudd have transformed the Norman F. Sprague Memorial Library Courtyard, a small rooftop area into a peaceful haven where students and staff can retreat to. By using simple maintenance practices and updated technology, Barber has shown you can do more with little. PGMS TO ANNOUCE 2007 GREEN STAR AWARDS AT SCHOOL OF GROUNDS MANAGEMENT & GIEEXPO PGMS received over 50 entries for its 2007 Green Star Awards program. The judges have met and evaluated all

entries. The winners will be annouced in Louisville, Ky. at the PGMS Awards Dinner on Saturday, October 27, 2007 The Dinner will be part of the 2007 PGMS School of Grounds Management & GIEEXPO which will be held October 24-27. The School will feature over 60 top-notch education programs to choose from, an insider’s tour of the award-winning Bernheim Arboretum grounds operations, over 200 of the green industry’s top suppliers, and networking opportunities galore! More information is available at www.pgmsorg/2007groundsschoolhtm President: Greg Nichols, Left: Greg Nichols, CGM ofBryn BrynMawr Mayr College , Bryn Mawr, Pa. College, and Kevin O’Donnell of Pres.-Elect:University Gene Pouly, CGM, E.F Villanova (center) discuss Pouly Co. , Orrville, Ohio various aspect of the ASU landscape Vice President: Monica maintenance system with Higgins, Grounds CGM, Bay Colony GolfNelms. CourseRight: , Naples, Fla. Supervisor Roger PGMS Treasurer: Joe Jackson, CGM, Duke Management Forum

faculty join PGMS University , Durham, President Ellen Newell,N.C CGM (2nd from Director-At-Large: Kevin Harvey, left). Included are Polly Pinney, Kevin CGM, St. Augustine St. John’s O’Donnell and Linda Hudson. County Airport Authority, St. Augustine, Fla North East Director: Mike Loftus, CGM, University of Delaware, Newark, Del. South East Director: Anthony Williams, CGM, Evergreen Conference Resort, Stone Mountain, Ga. For your information, the PGMS Bylaws allow . “Additional nominations may be made provided that they are made in writing, endorsed by at least ten (10) voting members in good standing, with the written consent of the nominee and received by the Secretary of the Society not less than thirty (30) days in advance of the annual meeting. The Secretary shall be responsible for seeing that all those members with the privilege of voting are notified of any additional nominations, in writing, immediately. There shall be no nominations from the floor unless an unopposed

and announced candidate should withdraw his or her name from consideration. In the event that there is more than one (1) nominee for the same office, the election shall be by secret ballot.”