Landscape Architect Articles

Adaptation Exemplified: Gwinnett Tech12-30-08 | News

Adaptation Exemplified: Gwinnett Tech

Editor, Matthew Doyle

Between the turf and field areas found on campus, 17 acres is occupied. The vast majority is Bermuda, with limited Zyosia patches occupying a few square feet. Mowing is performed at least once a week, increasing to twice a week from June to August. Outside this time frame, high visibility areas sometimes receive two cuttings per week. All images courtesy PGMS and Gwinnett Technical College.

Gwinnett Technical College was established in 1984 with one building and a handful of courses. Since then, the community college has grown to include 30 programs housed in eight buildings on the 87 acre campus. While growing, the site is still relatively small and this is reflected in the budget afforded the landscaping department. However, they?EUR??,,????'???ve still managed to win a 2007 Green Star Honor Award through a passionate work ethic and resourceful practices.

The Superintendent

Gail Zorn is solidly rooted at Gwinnett, having graduated in 2001 with an associate?EUR??,,????'???s in Horticulture and taking over the superintendent reins shortly thereafter. She comes from a somewhat unique background, previously owning a business in accounting software support before switching careers in 1996. Her choice was inspired by a passion for her personal garden that obviously carries through into her new pursuit.

A familiar challenge for superintendents is the ?EUR??,,????'??full service?EUR??,,????'?? capability required with small budgets. Scant funds also severely handicap labor, with Zorn noting the installation of three buildings since 2000 with no change in available help. Depicted are several groundskeepers serving a utility crew role repairing a fence damaged in a minor accident.

The Crew

Annual salary expenditures in 2007 were $171,000, about $180,000 in 2008, and up to $197,000 in 2009 with benefits included. The full-time lineup consists of three employees, all of whom are licensed pesticide applicators and holders of degrees. There is also one part-time employee. He?EUR??,,????'???s a paramedic for Gwinnett County, meaning he?EUR??,,????'???s often only available three times per month. Labor hours averaged 150 to 180 hours in 2007, but between the part-time employee?EUR??,,????'???s other commitments and the loss of one full time employee, they?EUR??,,????'???re currently down to 120 hours per week.

The entire group works 10 hours four days a week. This is in response to a school energy conservation policy that shuts down the groundskeeping building, among several others, every Friday. They generally arrive at 6:30 a.m. and depart at 5:00 p.m.

The staff divides the task load by separating the campus into five zones and rotating through each at least once a week.

Maintenance Schedule

The site features 10 acres of trees and shrubs. Arbors include willow, ?EUR??,,????'??Kwanzan?EUR??,,????'?? cherry, deodar cedars, bald cypress, Tea olives, pines, vitex and Buford hollies. Shrubs include viburnum, hydrangeas such as the ?EUR??,,????'??Limelight?EUR??,,????'?? variety, ?EUR??,,????'??Little Henry?EUR??,,????'?? itea, and ?EUR??,,????'??Lady Banks?EUR??,,????'?? roses. Both shrub and tree varieties of crape myrtle can be found. The more populous tree species?EUR??,,????'??? among the 85 present include pines, maples, crape myrtles and oaks.

One special project the crew is particularly excited about is an August grant from the Urban Forest Council to perform a tree inventory using a combination of GPS and geographic mapping software.

There are about 7,000 square feet of annual and perennial flowerbeds. However, budget constraints have forced seasonal color to be eliminated in 2008. Species that can be found when seasonal color is possible are hostas, day lilies such as the ?EUR??,,????'??Moon Traveler?EUR??,,????'?? variety, bearded iris?EUR??,,????'??? among other subspecies, ?EUR??,,????'??Goodness Grows?EUR??,,????'?? veronica, ?EUR??,,????'??Lenton?EUR??,,????'?? rose (Helleborus orientalis), swamp sunflower and swamp hibiscus. The majority of these can be found in the 6,000 square foot ?EUR??,,????'??Calendar Garden?EUR??,,????'??, designed to demonstrate blooming patterns throughout the year. There are 100 to 150 species of perennials in this area alone. Foliage accents include ferns and Elephant ear.

Seventeen acres of turf and field areas can be found on the grounds, and for all intents and purposes it?EUR??,,????'???s 100 percent Bermuda. There are patches of Zyosia, but the area occupied is only a few square feet. Mowing is performed at least once a week, but is increased to twice a week from June to August. High visibility areas also sometimes receive two cuttings per week. Overseeding isn?EUR??,,????'???t done to save time during the winter, allowing the team to concentrate on other areas.

The Gwinnett crew is currently contending with a level 4 drought, preventing use of municipal sources for mechanical irrigation. Depicted are 10,000 gallon storage tanks for a projected 100 gpm well to free the site from county supplies. In actuality, only 7 gpm is produced. To cope, turf has been cut back, drip systems installed and a 300 gallon trailer is towed about for supplemental watering.

Maintenance Schedule

If the recent budget cuts weren?EUR??,,????'???t in place, annuals would be planted in April and October. Pruning of trees and shrubs is mostly a fall activity. November through February brings extensive tree shedding and leaf cleanup. Ice and snow falls occasionally, but snow removal is normally unneeded. Major equipment refurbishment and special projects are another winter activity. May through October are the primary months through which mowing occurs. Irrigation tune up work and tree and shrub fertilization are completed during the spring.

Vehicles

Equipment on campus includes three Exmark Lazer HP?EUR??,,????'???s with a 52 inch deck, a Kabota tractor, an Ingersoll Rand Bobcat 763, a Ford F-150, two Club Car electric carts and a Toro Dingo mini-track loader. Hand equipment is mostly Stihl with some Redmax. Pruning shears are primarily Felco and Corona.

The Kabota features several attachments, but the most used items would include a fertilizer spreader and trencher. The Dingo is particularly appreciated for its ability to get into developed areas where the Bobcat 763 won?EUR??,,????'???t fit. However, the latter?EUR??,,????'???s backhoe is also appreciated in open area projects, like the recent move of a 25 year old Holly that was obstructing driver visibility. The electric carts have also been very well received, as they allow the crew to operate much more independently. In addition, their green status is appreciated.

The superintendent estimates that 65,000 cigarette butts were picked up in 2007, with six fires and one false alarm attributed to the vice since 2000. As a result, the campus has gone tobacco free. Although the policy has reduced litter, enforcement is a challenge and isn?EUR??,,????'???t 100 percent effective.

Chemicals and Fertilizer

Pesticide selection follows a policy of searching for the cheapest generic featuring a given active ingredient that is also effective. As a result, brands usually vary from year to year.

For broad leaf post emergent chemicals, products featuring glyphosate 8 are selected. For pre emergent herbicides, pendimethalin is the preferred option. Regarding specific pests, fire ants are the primary threat. Scheduling ensures every zone gets a weekly post emergent treatment while pre-emergent chemicals are applied bi-annually in February and September.

Turf, trees, and shrubs are all fertilized. Arbor-forms and shrubs are treated in the spring, while turf is usually done every six to eight weeks. However, a measure to meet the challenge of drought conditions has been the reduction to three throws per year. While ingredients have been changed over the last couple of years, Anderson is the fertilizer manufacturer typically used.

All pesticides and fertilizers have been purchased through the local Ewing distributor in recent years.

Irrigation

The system at Gwinnett Tech is completely Rain Bird. The older portion of the system is clock-controlled, while the newer areas feature three satellite controllers. A rough total of 70 zones are present. The majority of the system is drip, feed by an on-site well and serves three buildings.

The well supplying campus was intended to provide 100 gpm to eliminate dependence on county water. However, even at 600 feet, the well actually produces 7 gpm. 10,000 gallon tanks with an effective capacity of 7,000 gallons were installed to cope with this, but irrigation remains a struggle.

The horticulture program and groundskeeping department enjoy a partnership, creating challenges and benefits. Challenges include shared equipment, a requirement for the site to serve a lab function beyond aesthetics and working around incomplete student projects. Among the benefits has been the acquisition of a favorite equipment item, a Toro Dingo, which the partnership was instrumentalin.

Challenges

Labor: According to Zorn, this is the biggest challenge that the groundskeeping department faces. In 2000, the superintendent noted that she had a staff of 4 and in 2008 she has the same labor force but three additional buildings. At the core of the issue is budget shortages, evident in a 6 percent cut already experienced in the 2009 budget.

However, the challenge is inherent in being a state organization according to the leader, as profit volumes don?EUR??,,????'???t dictate available employee numbers. As a result, adapting as best as possible is the only option.

Highway Proximity: Another major challenge faced by the superintendent is the proximity of the facility to a major highway. While pollution and noise concerns are obviously an issue, the biggest problem is the inviting turn-around location the entrance appears to be for truckers. By her estimate, there are 15 to 20 attempts every week, sometimes reaching two per day. The weekends don?EUR??,,????'???t bring a rest, either. They usually end up in a rear parking lot with excessive islands that make the turn extremely difficult. Landscapes are often driven over as a consequence. In fact, a lost individual recently managed to get his rig stuck on one of the islands.

Drought: The groundskeepers are fighting stage four drought conditions, which prohibit all mechanical irrigation with municipal supplies. With the well project falling short of expectations, a 300 gallon water tank must be towed around for supplemental precipitation. Drip installations and turf cutbacks have also been utilized. The shortage also played a role in cutting annuals from the planting schedule.

However, the tank approach has worked ?EUR??,,????'??fair to good?EUR??,,????'?? according Zorn. In fact, the turf areas in front of the administrative buildings looked exceptionally well this year. The superintendent also attributes this to the reduced fertilizer program.

Trash and Cigarettes: Another major issue on the campus is cigarette usage. As of July 1, 2008, the site is smoke free in an attempt to deal with this problem. Before this move, an estimated 65,000 butts were picked up annually. In addition, cigarettes have been responsible for six fires and one false alarm since January 2000. While the ban has reduced cleaning requirements, enforcement remains a challenge. Current procedures focus on reminding students and visitors not to smoke, but this approach has not been 100 percent successful.

Daycare: A final challenge is the presence and construction of the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center. This project required January through August of 2006 and consumed 1,800 man-hours. The completion of the daycares landscape and irrigation system had to be undertaken while maintaining regular standards for the rest of the site.

In addition, now that construction is complete, the task of maintaining a area used by children is proving especially challenging. Chemicals must be applied very carefully, all plant materials and structures get extra abuse and access is restricted.

A highway in close proximity not only creates pollution and noise concerns, but errant truck drivers. Believing the campus a good place to turn around, they usually end up stuck in a parking lot with many turn-prohibiting islands. The superintendent estimates 15 to 20 individuals make this mistake every week, often driving over landscapes attempting to escape.

Meeting Facility Challenges

Regarding how to meet the challenges created by facilities like hers, Zorn had the following to say. Superintendents must realize that their job is to, among other things, create a place in which students are happy to learn. You thereby play a key role in recruitment and quality of campus life. Furthermore, the ability to convince administrators of this is the first step on the path to a successful program.