Physical Plant Blog

We have a new addition to the Landscape Management Department. It is a 40’x25’ greenhouse that was purchased last year that is near completion. We purchased the greenhouse for a few reasons; one is that every year we spend thousands of dollars on annuals that we have grown by a local grower to put throughout the campus beds and planters. My goal is to drastically reduce the amount of money we spend purchasing when we can grow our own annuals from seed. We also have started an internship program with the Stockbridge School of Agriculture last year where students come to work for us and learn about their major. This year we have four Horticulture freshmen joining our team, the greenhouse will allow the students to “learn by doing” a daily part of their training will be growing, fertilizing, watering and caring for the plants. After the annuals have reached majority and the weather is right the students will create and design beds throughout the campus where we normally do not have them. Their job will also be to care for these flower beds through -out the summer months. We will also use the greenhouse for a staging area for commencement. The Landscape department does the purchasing and the set up for the graduate commencement at the Mullins Center and with graduation being so early (May 11^th) it is difficult to find plant material that is in bloom, with the greenhouse we can adjust the growing environment and try to push the plant material along for a better bloom.

The greenhouse installation was done completely in house my foreman Ray LaClaire headed up the installation with help from other staff members Jim Recore, Chris Drake, John Stosz,  The Stockbridge fraternity ATG also donated some of their time to help along with the installation. Construction Services, Electrical and Water Utilities installed all the lines for the project and will do all final hook ups for gas, power and water. It is nice to see everyone come together for a great cause. It truly is a win win for everyone, The University will be saving money, the students are getting hands on experience for their future, and the campus will have annual color through-out the season.

People have asked me how far you would like to see this go. I would like to see the university growing all there season color for the campus in the future  I would like to see the internship program grow to a whole new level where we can prepare our students for their careers, and possibly come back to work here at the University.

Physical Plant has added two new web forms to our page.  You may now electronically request keys and surplus equipment disposal.  Both forms are accessible from our main page at http://www.umass.edu/physicalplant/

A Bike Rack Locator has been added to the Physical Plant web site.  The page can be found at http://www.umass.edu/physicalplant/loops/index.html.

Under the leadership/direction of Physical Plant Landscape Management staff member Brian Konieczny, Yucca, Silver Sword (from Graduate Commencement 2011) plants were planted on the barren embankment at the entrance to the parking garage. This area has dry/hot soil with a steam line directly underneath. This planting is an example of xeriscaping – landscaping with little on water – a landscape in an extreme urban area. Stone mulch was used to enhance the desert effect.

Warner Brothers Construction Company began work at the Campus Center Circle in June. The existing bituminous concrete sidewalk was removed and will be replaced with concrete sidewalks. The starting point was the southwest corner of Flint Building and continued counter clockwise around the circle to the northeast corner of the parking garage. Granite curbing will also be installed and a bus drop off area will be created on the eastern side of the circle.

Physical Plant purchased and installed a bike shelter installed on the southwestern corner of the Student Union. The bike shelter will be available to the campus community. This is the first bike shelter on campus.

Physical Plant Construction Services began work to install granite curbing around the parking lot on the south side of the Physical Plant. The existing bituminous concrete curbing had chunks missing from snow plow damage.

Physical Plant Landscape and Construction Services staff removed plant material from the lawn area on the northwest corner of the student union. The area will be re-seeded allowing for a large open lawn area.

Starting on Tuesday July 5th and running approximately five weeks, or until completion, the fire hydrants on campus will undergo the annual flushing process.

Flushing will begin at 3:00 p.m. and run until 9:00 p.m. every weekday. The perimeter of the campus will be done early in the shift and the core later in the shift. We will notify residential areas two days before flushing. This will include North Village and Lincoln Apartments.

Users may notice a discoloration in the water due to the flushing. All one needs to do is run the water until it clears up.

If you have any questions or concerns about this project, please contact Tom Fydenkevez 413-230-2143.

Warner Brothers will begin the replacement of the perimeter blacktop sidewalk around the Campus Center Circle on Tuesday, May 31st.

The existing blacktop sidewalk will be removed starting at the southwest corner of Flint Lab and proceeding around the Campus Center Circle clockwise to the northeast corner of the parking garage.  The sidewalk will be put back in concrete.  The work will be completed in phases with construction fence around the active work site.  Construction is expected to last two weeks.

Contact Pam Monn at 577-3106 with any questions.

1.  Interior painting by contract:

Contract start date: 06/27/11

Contract end date: 08/31/11

A: Engineering Computer Science (ECSC Phase 1)

Common areas to be painted:

• First floor – 199 F, G, H, I, J, K, M, N
• Second floor – 299 A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M
• Third floor – 399 A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L

B: Engineering Lab II

Common areas to be painted:

• Basement level – 099F, 099I, 099J, 014, 016, 018
• First floor – 199 A, B, D, E, F, H, 114, 116
• Second floor – 299 B, D, E, F, 212, 214
• Third floor – 399 A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L

2. Interior painting by Physical Plant personnel:

To start May 23rd – filler work to proceed continually through summer, ending no later than 08/31/11.

Hills South

Common areas to be painted:

• First floor – 199 A, D
• Second floor – 299 A, D
• Third floor – 399 A, D
• Forth floor – 499 A, D

3. Plaster and paint

Contract start date: 06/27/11
Contract end date: 08/31/11

Lederle Research Tower Stairwells

4. Exterior painting

Contract start date: 06/27/11
Contract end date: 08/31/11

Conte Center for polymer Research

All front exterior facade iron work at the building’s main entrance.

Getting a new building ready to open is both exciting and taxing.  The preparation begins with the hiring of new employees; purchasing of new equipment; distributing trash and recycling receptacles; and creating employee custodial cleaning  workloads/routes.  All new campus buildings are funded at a higher maintenance rate to keep them in as  built condition.  The cleaning standards are higher for new buildings.    All of this activity is usually completed while having limited building access.  When construction is completed and the new building is turned over to the Physical Plant; we as a department make sure the building shines; making every attempt to make the new occupants feel welcome.

On Tuesday, April 12, the Physical Plant Landscape Department planted 844 total pansies on the mound (176 white, 668 red) at Haigis Mall. 

The process for the planting started in December.  Members of the Landscape Management Staff called sales reps from seed companies to find a pansy closest to the Umass-Amherst Maroon color.  We used series Mammoth, cultivars  ‘Big Red’ and ‘Mammoth White Hot’.  We ordered 1500 pansies from Five Acre Farm in Northfield (for mound, planters, gardens)- grown especially for us, seeded in Dec. so ready for planting in early April as 6 in pots.  The maroon pansies were used for the background and the white pansies were used to design the “U” and “M”. 

Prior to the planting in April, we checked weather for low temperatures.  We did not want the temperature much below freezing (at lowest).  We did purchase a frost protection blanket so we would be prepared to cover plants if temps too much below 32 and hard frost warnings).

We prepared the mound by tilling in compost and regrading the area.  We put stakes in place where every plant should be at 11in on center and we used cardboard cutouts of equilateral triangles so every plant would be exactly 11 inches apart.

Spring is in the air at UMass and with that, the fountains are to be installed in the Campus Pond beginning March 28^th.  We purchased the fountains for a few reasons -  for beautification, but also for aeration and circulation of the water.

 The installation of the three fountains takes roughly a day. First we must load them in our row boat one by one row out to the desired location and run guy wires to each side of the bank to hold them in place. We stake them down to the bank because the amount of water being taken in from the fountain would cause them to spin in a circular rotation.

Each fountain requires 3 feet of water to operate correctly, which is now possible from our Hydro raking project we did last fall.