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Our Grounds Maintenance group performs various tasks throughout the year. Below, the tasks are catagorized by the four seasons with additional responsiblities listed after our seasonal duties. |
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Turf Flowers Hedges
All annual flowers are removed and mums are planted in there place. As soon as the mums stop blooming, the mums are removed and over 5000 bulbs are planted. We purchase 2000 daffodil bulbs and distribute them to students to plant in their residential areas. Leaf removal on a large scale usually begins near the middle to end of October. We have a very short window to get the leaves picked up before winter sets in. Once the leaves have been removed, a fall application of 30-2-10 slow release fertilizer and lime are applied. All irrigation systems are blown out and backflow preventers are removed. During the football season, we set up all the functions related to the games being played. Barrels are placed in all the parking lots and tailgate areas. We clean up after the football games beginning at midnight after the game. We clean and remove barrels in all of the parking lots, practice fields, parking garages. We also pick up litter and trash within a 2 mile radius surrounding the campus.
Our snow removal season typically starts near the beginning of January. Grounds employees are spread throughout the campus. In addition to our 5 plows, we lease 1 front end loader and 2 bobcats. If the snow fall exceeds 3 inches we call in a plowing contractor to supplement our operation. During the basketball and hockey season, we assist the athletic maintenance group with the installation and removal of a portable basketball floor in Conte Forum. The arborist and gardener prune the rhododendrons and azaleas as needed. Due to the amount of trees on campus only smaller trees are pruned to maintain their size and shape. It is also a good time for the removal of dead or diseased trees. Our 44 Linden trees are pruned and cabled as needed by a contractor. The Linden trees are root fed in early spring.
Boston College’s Commencement always occurs on the 3rd Monday of May. The challenge is to grow new grass in a short period. As soon as the temperatures allow, the larger lawns are rolled to level off our lawn surfaces. Lawns are then thatched, aerated and sliced seeded. Top dressing and over seeding is done where necessary. Areas that are completely walked off may be rotor tilled and sodded. In high traffic areas a triblend of rye grasses is used. On our more formal lawns, a blend of rye, bluegrass and fescue seed is used. The blend of seed is used so that if one type of grass becomes diseased, the entire lawn is not destroyed. Under our Linden trees where almost no sun gets to the lawn surfaces, a blend of fescues and poa trivialis is planted. To speed up germination in this area, geo-textile tarps are placed over the turf surface to warm the soil. An application of humidate may also be applied. All areas are fertilizered and as soon as the seed starts to germinate we apply liquid fertilizer to force the seed to grow quicker. The planting beds are edged, cleaned and remulched. As stated earlier, commencement always falls on the 3rd Monday of May. Most of the flowers shrubs and trees were selected because they bloom at this time of the year. As mentioned above all of the functions is setup by our department. The 6 weeks leading up to Commencement, most of the staff works an average of 60 hours a week. The night prior to Commencement, all vehicles are towed off campus and all parking lots are swept. All walks, stairs are swept and washed as needed. The staff works from Midnight to 3pm the same day of commencement. In House Projects The following are examples of in house projects preformed by the Ground Department:
Routine full-service maintenance repair is provided at the on-campus vehicle maintenance garage. This area services approximately 100 vehicles and an additional 150 pieces of off-road equipment. An inventory of replacement parts is maintained onsite to provide safe, economical, and timely repairs for all equipment. Vehicle maintenance work orders should be input via Agora. Function Set Up & Campus Moves The Grounds Department performs most of the on campus office moves and deliveries from the university warehouse to and from the campus. In coordination with the Bureau of Conferences Department, the Grounds Department sets up and breaks down university sponsored conferences. | |
