GRounds
This page describes the department of Buildings and Grounds' Landscape and Grounds program including grounds maintenance and irrigation.
Introduction
The Buildings and Grounds Department includes several subdivisions responsible for Landscape Improvements, Grounds Maintenance and Tree Maintenance and Irrigation Services. The following details the work involved in these areas of concern.
Boca Raton Campus
The Grounds Operation is responsible for all grounds maintenance on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University, covering nearly 170 acres of irrigated campus property plus all athletic fields. Through a unique combination of in-house staff and contractors, the Division seeks to maximize the appropriate dollars available to present a well manicured and visually appealing campus. Click below for details on each operation.
Grounds Management and Operation
The Department operates under the daily direct authority of the Superintendent of Grounds and Transportation with general administration and program oversight by the Buildings and Grounds Director. The Superintendent directly oversees the grounds crew and special projects. The Superintendent meets with the crew at the beginning of each day to direct work for the day, to assign special projects, and to assign equipment to the proper users.
Mowing and Edging
The main task of the Grounds Operation is lawn maintenance of the campus common areas. This includes mowing and edging all grass areas of campus. Through the summer fast growth months, this is a full-time task. The slower growth season in the winter months allows for special projects and equipment maintenance.
Bed Maintenance
Bed Maintenance includes trimming hedges and weeding landscape beds. This work is performed five to six times annually, usually before the spring/summer growing season, during the summer growing season, and another time during the winter months.
Irrigation
Both the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses are already at the forefront of water conservation by the use of re-use water for all irrigation needs. Irrigating with re-use water is an exceptional use of partially treated water, which would otherwise be sent into the South Florida water system. This saves millions of gallons of fresh (potable) water annually for human consumption/use.
An exciting new component of the irrigation program is the recent (2008) installation of an automated control system in the Athletics area of campus which allows the University to better control its irrigation water usage. The system, among other things, comes with a weather station that automatically adjusts the system to account for rainfall. This is now the standard system on all new building projects and will be expanded throughout the remainder of the campus, in phases, as funding allows. The Jupiter campus is already utilizing a similar control system throughout campus
Fertilization / Herbicide / Insecticide
Herbicide
Generally performed by a licensed vendor, the lawn and palm trees receive herbicide treatments annually. Spot ant treatment at special event sites is also provided. A contractor provides a monthly inspection for weeds, fungus, insects, and treats on a spot basis. Buildings and Grounds provide spot weed control primarily in tree rings, paver block areas, pavement cracks, and in other out-of-the-way locations.
Fertilization
The lawns, hedges, and trees are fertilized twice annually.
Tree Maintenance
This is an important maintenance operation in light of the volume of tree damage the University has sustained through four hurricanes in 2005-2006. With this in mind, the Buildings and Grounds Department initiated a tree management program in FY 2007. Buildings and Grounds perform trimming and pruning of hardwood and palm trees on a year-round basis.
Athletic and Common Areas
The Grounds Operation maintains the common (non-athletic field) areas in the Athletic section of the campus. A sports turf specialty contractor maintains the athletic fields (two baseball fields, a softball field, two football fields, and all soccer fields).
Special Projects
The Grounds Operation performs many special projects throughout the year. These include landscape improvements (grass, hedge, and or tree installation), mulching, and the establishment of mini-park areas (placement of picnic tables, benches, and trash/recycling receptacles), for example. The Grounds Operation also assists campus departments in plant set-ups for events, maintains Preservation and Conservation Areas (bush hogging), and works with other departments on commencement activities.
SMARTeam
The SMARTeam provides trimming and pruning of hardwood and palm trees, pressure cleaning of sidewalks and buildings, painting curbs and steps, campus clean-up after storms, and other projects.
Litter Patrol
Buildings and Grounds provide a seven-day-per-week litter patrol of the Boca Raton Campus. This service also includes daily emptying of campus trash and recycling receptacles.
Specific responsibilities include: Entrances, walks, drives, grass areas, athletic fields and stadiums, swimming pool areas, bleachers, parking lots, and all irrigated grounds will be free of paper, trash, bottles, and other discarded materials. Clean display case at the base of the flags at the Administration Building.
Solid Waste Removal
Buildings and Grounds work with Waste Management for all solid waste pick-up and hauling of trash from the Boca Raton campus through the collection of over thirty dumpsters of varying sizes. The collection ranges from two days per week to five days per week depending on the need.
McArthur Jupiter Campus
The Buildings and Grounds Department, Jupiter is responsible for all maintenance activities on this campus, including grounds, custodial, and general building maintenance. Click below for details on the grounds operation on the Jupiter campus.
Jupiter Grounds
As this campus is much newer than the Boca Raton campus, first established in the late 1990s, the architecture and plant selection differs from the older Boca Raton location. First and foremost is that the grass is Bahia as opposed to St. Augustine which is primary in Boca Raton. Hedges and trees also differ in style from those found on the Boca campus.
Services provided on this campus, include mowing, fertilization, herbicide control, irrigation service, and minor tree work that includes pruning palms and lifting the branches of the young hardwood trees. As necessary, a contractor also bush hogs open fields, installs new plants, and provides generally all grounds-related services.
The Jupiter campus irrigation system is already automated like that which is beginning to occur in Boca Raton. Water rationing has been in place in Jupiter for years so this computerized control of the irrigation system assures that little water is wasted. Computer monitoring of the system includes alarms and graphic information advising where excess water is being used, thereby highlighting where problems exist in the irrigation system. Repairs can then be made in a timely manner.
Frequently Asked Questions