Groundskeeping is a widely unappreciated, yet essential part to keeping the campus of Sam Houston State University preserved. Groundskeeping is much more tedious and extensive than many may realize. During campus tours, one thing many prospective students and parents consider is how a college looks on the outside. Because of this, it is very important for groundskeepers to always ensure the environment around campus is well taken care of.

Supervisor Mark Kinney says his motto at work is to “look at the campus from the visitor’s point of view.” In doing so, he notices what needs to be done to make the campus more appealing. There are different categories a worker can belong to in groundskeeping. These include irrigation, horticulture, and lawn maintenance. A total of twenty-five employees manage the campus grounds.

5:50-6:00 a.m.
Workers arrive. They begin to clock in and retrieve the keys for their carts and lawn mowers. It is important employees start early in the day to avoid being exposed to high heat during the entirety of their shifts.

6:00-7:30 a.m.
Kinney begins his day by driving around campus looking for major grounds-related issues such as broken sprinklers, large patches of dry grass, and dead trees. Kinney has been in the groundskeeping business for over forty years and is well-equipped to notice when the smallest blade of grass is out of place. He also drives through parking garages, checking for litter. If he finds one of these problems, he will call an employee associated with the task that needs to be done. When dead or overgrown trees are found, they are taken to a woodchipper and ground into mulch to be repurposed on campus. Another major area he checks during this time is SHSU President White’s walkway. At the same time, the irrigation team begins to check the sprinklers on the rec fields. A worker notices the sprinklers on one field are forming craters in the grass and need to be removed to prevent any injuries. Once removed, the holes will be filled with sand, and the sprinklers will be reinstalled. Kinney keeps track of days and times each field will be used by the school so as not to water or mow during these times. The lawn maintenance team begins to mow where they had not mowed the day before. This includes the fields surrounding SHSU tennis courts and the rec fields. One crew member will mow and weed eat the perimeter of the field, while another member will mow the inside.

7:30-8:00 a.m.
Kinney now heads to Sam South and other locations off the main campus. These might include The Woodlands campus, Conroe campus, Gibbs Ranch, or the observatory. He will visit The Woodlands campus twice a week to make sure their groundskeeping is up to par. The horticulture team checks flowerbeds and ensures the flowers meet standards. A greenhouse resides at the warehouse to store flowers until needed for planting.

8:00-9:00 a.m.
Around this time, the soccer field and track sprinklers are checked and turned off. During the warmer months, the sprinklers run longer than during the winter. The softball and baseball fields are also checked for any major issues. Today, baseball recruiters will be coming to SHSU to scout promising players. This means the lawn maintenance crew needs to ensure the baseball field is safe to play on and the lawn looks presentable before it’s used. The groundskeepers check the ballfields that are being used the most during this season. This means that lately the football field is being maintained less, and the baseball and softball fields maintained more; however, this switches during the fall semester.

9:00-9:20 a.m.
This is the first break employees will take. During this time of the year, workers become more susceptible to overheating, so they utilize their break to rehydrate and rest indoors.

10:00-11:15 a.m.
Kinney now takes a cart through campus to get a better look on the inside for any problems. During this time, he will cut seedlings and pull weeds from trees. He will also make sure the sprinkler timers are set correctly. The horticulture crew will do the same with the flowerbeds. The flowerbeds are only set to be watered for seven minutes; conversely, the trees need to be watered continuously throughout the night, as each tree on campus takes around 100 gallons of water every day. The irrigation team will also check the backflows throughout campus to ensure they are always working properly. If a backflow stops working, the water can become contaminated and be dangerous for the lawn, animals, and people that may come into contact with the water.

11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
On this particular day, a luncheon was held in the Peabody Memorial Library. Prominent members of SHSU attended this event, so it was important for the lawn and flowers outside the building to look presentable. When events are held on campus, it is the grounds crew’s priority to make sure the area surrounding the location of the event is properly watered and not overgrown. On the other side of campus by the raven statue, the irrigation crew notices a dry patch of grass where there are no sprinklers. They begin to install a sprinkler to ensure this area of grass becomes green again.

12:00-1:00 p.m.
Time for a lunch break!

1:00-2:00 p.m.
Kinney checks in with contractors on campus. He wants to make sure they have not run into any irrigation problems as they replace a few sidewalks outside the Administration Building. During this time, one lawn maintenance crew begins to mow the lawn for Lone Star Hall. Another lawn maintenance crew begins blowing leaves and cut grass from sidewalks and parking lots. If they come across a parking lot with weeds growing from the cracks in the cement but there are too many cars, a skeleton crew will come in on Saturday and focus on this.

2:00-2:30 p.m.
The detention pond on Rec Field 1, the field closest to the football stadium parking lot, is checked. There are two detention ponds on either side of the field and, although less often in the summer, one detention pond flows much faster than the other. Kinney and the grounds crew have started to try to correct this problem. Rec Field 3 is beginning to be mowed, as this is done once a week. A patio at The Woodlands campus is in much need of some TLC, so some of the crew begin to fill a trailer with crushed granite intended for delivery to that campus the following day to fix the grounding.

2:30-3:00 p.m.
Irrigation near the football field is checked and is mowed once a week. Employees from all areas once again check for any major areas they might have missed before preparing to head home.

Both the SHSU community and our community as a whole benefit from the beauty of the Sam Houston State University campus. Thank you to Mark Kinney (who refused to have his photo taken, wanting all the credit to go to his staff) and the whole groundskeeping team for all you do and for sharing a day in your life with us!