Spring Cleaning

Campus cleanup efforts begin on the Holy Cross campus as soon as the snow melts, says Armstrong Lidonde, grounds general foreman.

It can happen in February, it can happen in March, or it can happen even later, says George Query, greenhouse foreman for the campus. The deadline that they aim to meet, however, never changes — commencement always falls at the end of May.

Luckily for the ten full time staff who work like ants — feverishly tidying up the campus through a carefully choreographed team effort — Mother Nature went easy on them this year. Despite the 70 inches of snowfall Worcester received, crews were able to start sprucing up Mount St. James in mid-March.

“We’ve raked in the snow, and we’ve mulched in the snow. The only thing that that can really hamper our efforts is a major snowstorm. Sometimes Mother Nature beats us, but we try not to let her win,” Query says, with a smile.

With a 175-acre campus nestled on a hillside, where do crews begin? They start at the top of the hill, and work their way down, giving special attention to three high-traffic focal areas: the Hart Center; Ciampi Hall, the Jesuit residence; and the Hogan Campus Center.

Crews sweep sand and dirt from sidewalks and other paved surfaces; put away storm steps; edge flower beds; and tend shrub, tree, and planting areas. Mulch is then dispersed around flower beds and trees to keep weeds at bay and mowers away from delicate above-ground roots. Grass seed is also spread in areas that were damaged from the severe New England winters.

Just days before commencement, Query is happy to report that the campus is in fine shape. Not only have all major areas been tended, but the lawn has been mowed several times, and flowers from the on-campus greenhouse have been planted. Nearly 10,000 annuals have added a rainbow of colors across campus.

“We start February with seedlings. Just about every flower garden is started in the greenhouse,” says Query, who has worked at the College for 35 years.

“The philosophy is you treat it like it’s your own home,” he says. “You want it to look good.”

He’s equally proud about how “green” his department’s landscaping efforts are — and we’re not just talking about the color of the lawn.

“We do all composting from the fall leaves, we don’t use any chemicals, and we use mulching mowers for our grass,” Query says. In fact, free compost is available for the entire campus community by calling the grounds department. A screener at the top of the Hill turns the leaves into an estimated 700 yards of rich compost annually and saves the College money. Even the lawn fertilizer is organic, he says.

Barring a washout, the more than 650 graduates and their 6,000 guests will be able to enjoy the beautiful campus during this year’s commencement exercises on May 23. Now if only Mother Nature can cooperate on that one.

Related Information:

• Commencement 2008 • Photo gallery of on-campus greenhouse • Photo gallery of budding trees and flowers on campus as spring arrives