Grounds

Includes: exterior pest control, heavy equipment, irrigation, landscaping, paving, playground repair, portable moving, tree trimming and service, weed control.

Byron Booker, Manager (24 years with District, 3 years as manager)
51 technicians and support personnel

Craft shops include Heavy Equipment Operators; Landscape Maintenance; Exterior Pest Control; Irrigation; Inspection; Water Resources; and Portable Movers/Maintenance & Playground Maintenance and Repair (single shop).

The Department is charged with maintaining the appearance, safety, and pest control of all APS grounds and athletic fields. While most of the work focuses on irrigation, weed control, and mowing of the District’s 117 athletic fields (up from 111 last year), the grounds technicians are also responsible for 40+ acres consisting of one or more of the following: ornamental native grasses, lawns, irrigated trees, bushes and shrubs, and other vegetation. The Department is also responsible for asphalt and paved surfaces as well as keeping all playground equipment in good repair.

In total, personnel increased by three, as the Portable Moving/Maintenance Shop was moved from the Facilities Design + Construction Division to the Grounds Department. However, as permanent structures are replacing the number of portable classrooms and the need for moving portables is reduced, these technicians are grouped with the Playground Shop where they are assigned with the inspection, maintenance, and repair of playground equipment when not moving portables.

Currently, all tasks that can be performed proactively are. The Department has increased its number of PM work orders from just 11 in 2009 to 825 by the end of 2010 fiscal year.

Highlights

Expanded role of Saturday Community service people

The individuals (approximately 40-60) sentenced by Metropolitan Court to provide community service to remove trash from the joint-use fields APS shares with the City of Albuquerque, have been trained to now also weed and provide surface maintenance on playgrounds.

• Frees up technicians to perform more time-sensitive tasks.

Moved weed removal at elementary schools in-house

During summer months, APS grounds technicians remove weeds at all elementary schools’ high visible areas, such as campus entrances.

• Previously performed by contractors.
• Saves District $225,000+ annually.

Note: All Middle and High Schools are maintained by designated grounds personnel year-round.

Moved six fields from independent to computerized central control system

• This leaves only six remaining fields that need to be switched from manual to central control.

Assumed portable maintenance and moving responsibility (previously under FD+C)

• Maintain portables and ramps, and move portables when necessary.
• Assist Playground technicians (portable technicians currently taking playground maintenance class).

Added six new fields and three new playgrounds

With the District’s recent expansion of new high, middle, and elementary schools, as well as adding two new fields at two existing schools, the District’s athletic fields grew from 230 to 236 acres and playgrounds grew from 142 to 148 in the 2009-10 fiscal year. Over eight new acres of grounds were added, however the Department lost three grounds technicians and those positions have been eliminated.

Improved time to perform playground work

From 2007 to the 2009-10 fiscal year, the Playground Shop decreased the time to perform work orders by 73.9%. And in spite of the growing number of athletic fields and playgrounds, the number of work orders has decreased by 15.4% during this time period, due to the expanding PM program.

Added late spring fertilization

Now fertilize three times versus the previous twice a year to recover extra active use of fields and promote growth during the growing season.

• Quality of fields greatly improved.
• Decreasing reactive work orders over the long-term.
• Less re-sodding and re-seeding necessary.

Automated and increased mowing schedule

Mowing, 100% on a PM program, has grown substantially with the added fields, however, the Department now mows twice a week rather than the previous once a week.

• Saves time as clippings don’t have to be collected and disposed of (serve as mulching).
• Improves quality of field; provides better playing surface.

Worked with FD+C to change the specs for new fields

• Artificial, rather than natural grass as was previously specified, is installed in most new fields where practical.

New PM Program

• Supervisory personnel check athletic fields twice weekly to identify and resolve problems before reactive work orders are requested.
• Fields inspection (sprinkler heads, bald spots), spring through fall; increased to twice weekly.

PM programs (ongoing)

• Grading dirt tracks.
• Irrigation controllers, spring and fall.
• Landscape maintenance of baseball and softball fields.
• Playground equipment inspections.
• Grounds safety inspections.
• Fall and two spring fertilizations (fertilization changed to be more drought-tolerant).
• Pre-emergent weed control to prevent weeds from germinating.
• Aerating and re-seeding athletic fields (work around sports seasons; 1-4 times a year, depending on use).
• Fields inspection (sprinkler heads, bald spots), spring through fall; increased to twice weekly.
• Inspection of tennis courts and paved tracks and resurfacing and other maintenance as needed.
• Condition of paving and repairs analysis, from minor to complete resurfacing and pothole patching.
• Grub control program which eliminates damage to athletic fields.

Goals

Status of 2009-10 Fiscal Year Goals

• Complete District wide conversion to central control irrigation system within three years:In progress.
• Increase PM work orders for Heavy Equipment Shop (asphalt/paving): Done; working to further increase.
• Irrigation audits and upgrades for problematic fields: In progress; note first Goal below.

2010-11 Goals

• While continuing to respect the District’s water conservation concerns and goals, work with Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to conduct audits on athletic fields for proper measurement and classification.
• In some grounds areas, District is short changed in how much water is allowed per City of Albuquerque ordinance based on grounds’ purpose.
• As the Grounds Department has replaced a few fields with artificial turf and much landscaping with drought tolerant plantings, the goal is NOT to increase water use, but rather to redistribute use where needed and remain in compliance with City mandate.
• Move remaining sites from independent system to computerized central control irrigation system.
• Have completed 105 fields to date, only six remaining.