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| Vol. 17, No. 25 | March 26, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 25 | March 26, 1998 |
Sam Jones, grounds and movers services, said March is the "transition phase" between winter and spring. Changing equipment from snowplows to mowers, pruning dead growth and splitting perennials, pre-emergent spraying for weeds, removing old groundcover and spreading fresh mulch for moisture retention all occur during this transition. Jones estimates about 2,500 cubic yards of mulch are used each year on the Newark campus.
"There is no slow time for us," Jones said. "Even if the outside work decreases slightly in the winter, there is employee training on new landscaping and gardening techniques to be used in the spring."
The job specifications for a grounds position now include a requirement to have experience in the field, such as a commercial or industrial setting. "The work is just too specialized now," Jones said.
Looking ahead to summer, Jones said that Tom Taylor, landscape engineer, will be managing several projects including the planting of a park in front of Laurel Hall-at the extreme south end of the Mall-and replacing the aging macadam sidewalks in the South Central housing complex area with pavers.
"Don't call them bricks," Jones said. "They are pavers." According to Jones, a brick would be cemented in to the ground while a paver "floats" in a bed of sand. The pavers may be removed easily for access to the utilities located underneath.
Also slated for this summer is the planting of a park on the grounds adjacent to the church property the University purchased last summer at the corner of Elkton Road and East Delaware Avenue.
Various parking lots will have repairs done on them, Jones said, and the Pencader Complex also will continue to be renovated as part of a five-year plan, he said. Projects to be completed there include landscaping, parking lot repair and rerouting of some of the sidewalks.
"We are trying to move sidewalks to accommodate the traffic flow of the students," Jones said.
Over the last 10 years, Jones estimates the loss of about four of the majestic elms on the Mall each year, mainly from disease. The University is now planting Princeton elms, which are a hardier strain and more resistant to disease, he said. It will take about 20 years for the newer trees to mature, Jones estimated.
"For every tree we are forced to cut down, Jones said, "we try to plant two more." They may not be in the same location, he explained, so observers may not always realize that the new trees are being planted.
The University also reuses grasses and perennials through relocation, as well as dividing plants into smaller bunches.
Future projects include the renovation of Harrington "Beach," the large open area behind the Perkins Student Center. Jones said the grounds department is testing a Bermuda grass there which is a hardier warm-season grass.
According to Jones, the plan is not to change the area from a recreation spot for students, but to create a large lawn out of the flatland that often turns muddy with extreme rain. Some drainage will be added under the area to help prevent the standing water that occurs there now, Jones said.
With this year's mild winter, there was no snow for the plows to remove, but the grass still needed to be cut in the areas where the steam lines run underneath the ground, Jones said. No matter what shape the weather takes, preparing for and dealing with the whims of Mother Nature are primary responsibilites of the grounds crew.
-Gail E. Walford
Photo by Jack Buxbaum
