Kermit the Frog may have coined the phrase “It’s not easy being green,” but the Landscape Management crew at UMass proves it on a daily basis.
Maintaining the more than 400 acres of UMass Amherst is the very large task of the Landscape Management team. But within that team is a dedicated group of 5 people that oversee special projects throughout the spring and summer. Dave Pielock heads up the team and this summer they are working on beautifying areas of campus while making them more maintenance friendly.
Recently, the Studio Arts Building received some TLC from the team. The issue of water dropping off of the roof on to dirt/gardens and splashing mud onto the building making it look dirty all the time. The team removed the gardens from the east edge of the building and put in river stone to eliminate the problem. Below is the final product.
This change also allows for the beauty of the building to be realized. Why cover a building that is designed to be beautiful?
Thompson and Machmer are the focus of a multi-phase plan to remove mulch around the buildings and replace with river stone and pavers. These changes will cut down on the cleanup of debris that is blown into corners and also when it rains having to clean up the mulch that washed downhill.
The North Residential Complex is the site of another multi-phase project. The team will be cleaning existing shrub beds including consolidating and replanting some overgrown gardens. This will clean up the lines of the landscape and allow for easier maintenance of the Complex.
The Central Heating plant provides a very interesting issue. The many retaining ponds, (areas of large stones that catch and hold large amounts of water that eventually evaporates) routinely need to be cleared of overgrown brush to continue to operate correctly. The footing in these ponds isn’t very stable and using the power equipment needed to clear them (brush saws, etc) can be hazardous. Clearing a retaining pond can take more than a full day for two people to clear. They are very labor intensive and due to the nature of the ponds, chemicals are unable to be used. A growth inhibitor is being looked into to help with this problem.
If you see the special project crew while you are out and about on campus thank them for the time and effort they put in to make being green look easy!