Grounds Maintenance is responsible for all grounds maintenance functions, including the appearance of the campus, snow removal, and roadway maintenance.

Landscaping Care:
The flower beds and shrub beds in the Quad and around campus buildings are prepared and maintained. This includes designing and installing new beds, watering, weed and insect control, and trimming. Several members of our staff have attended training courses at Longwood Gardens and elsewhere so that they can give these important areas of our campus the tender loving care they deserve.

Tree Care:
Our grand trees give the campus a distinctive beauty and character. Therefore, we are actively engaged in prolonging the life and beauty of our grand trees and planting young trees to take their place in the future. The health of each tree is examined on a regular basis, and our tree inventory traces the historical condition of each tree. Trees are fertilized and treated for diseases as needed. We also thin the canopies and remove dead wood as needed. Meanwhile, dozens of new trees are planted each year. For more information on our tree care program, see "Tree Care Guidelines".

Lawn and Turf Maintenance:
We have a special crew devoted to the maintenance of our lawn and turf areas. We are committed to establishing and maintaining beautiful lawn areas throughout the campus. We also mow and trim these areas to give the campus the finished appearance we all enjoy. You can help keep our lawns looking nice by always using sidewalks and avoiding the shortcuts.

Athletic Field Maintenance:
West Chester University maintains 23 intercollegiate sports, a widely-known physical education program, and an aggressive intramural sports program. These year-round activities take a heavy toll on our 15 athletic fields. Grounds Maintenance supports these activities by providing a vigorous turf that can stand up to these heavy demands. Our trained professionals wage a constant battle to aerate, fertilize, control weeds and insects, seed, irrigate, and mow these fields to each sport’s specifications. We are proud to be a part of a winning sports tradition at WCU.

Trash Removal:
Trash removal is a two-pronged process at the University. First, the litter must be picked up on a daily basis, and hundreds of outside waste containers must be emptied. Second, we operate our own trash truck to empty the dumpsters located near each building and haul our waste directly to the landfill. Our trash truck also empties our blue dumpsters on a weekly basis and hauls the recycled paper to a recycled paper broker. You can help by recycling paper and always disposing of waste in an appropriate container.

Snow Removal:
The University has 30 acres of parking lots, over three miles of roadways, and 6.6 miles of sidewalks. During snow season, Grounds Maintenance, with assistance from Custodial Services and Physical Plant, is prepared to work around the clock to provide you with a safe and unobstructed place to park and walk. Our goal is to keep classes open and to provide a safe means for students, faculty, and staff to reach the campus buildings. For more details on our snow removal priorities, see the "Snow and Ice Removal Plan". You can help us by avoiding parking lots where snow removal operations are underway, and by calling x2340 or x3200 to let us know of any trouble spots which have developed since our last pass.

Road, Parking Lot, and Sidewalk Repairs:
Grounds Maintenance patches potholes and performs other small asphalt repairs to the campus roads and parking lots. Our staff has been specially trained to handle these type jobs. This includes cleaning out catch basins and storm drains. Concrete sidewalks are constructed and maintained by the Carpenter Shop, with support from Grounds Maintenance.

Excavations, Composting, and Other Services:
Grounds Maintenance provides the specialists and equipment for most of the excavations on campus. In this role, we support utility line maintenance, install and maintain fences, new plantings, and drainage solutions. Also, our heavy lifting and hauling equipment supports University needs in a myriad of other ways. Finally, we maintain a composting facility for the 25 tons of leaves which fall on the campus in the autumn. This compost is later sifted and added to topdressing as soil amendments.  Additional regular maintenance for which the Grounds Maintenance Department is responsible includes:

        Insect and disease control measures on trees, shrubs, and turf areas
        Leaf removal
        Shrubbery pruning
        Mulching
        Hardscape sweeping services
        Parking area sweeping services, broken glass cleanup, litter removal
        Recreation site maintenance
        Installation of campus cigarette urns and campus litter containers

Whether the job is big or small, Grounds Maintenance is here to serve you.