May 2020

Project Manager 2 Jim Uehlin saved the client $82,000 and provided a great service on the Nagle Hall renovation. Jim saved the existing oak wood flooring dating from 1909 on the second floor of the State Chemist building that he is demolishing as part of the project. This wood was used to replace damaged flooring in Nagle Hall at a savings of approximately $80,000 and was used for flooring in a new coffee bar at the Psychology Building, savings approximately $2,000.

In addition to the cost savings, Jim was able to find a great use for this high quality wood and helped improve the sustainability services provided by SSC.

Steve Gochenour, Project Manager 2 was in charge of The Appelt Visitor Center renovation improving the visitor experience.

Walls, ceilings and floors were demolished to replace, increased lighting, improved finishes and student work space, and improved presentation capabilities. Space was increased by eliminating false columns and other unusable areas creating a more warm, welcoming feel.

EDCS hosted a food drive to support the 12th Can Food Pantry which supports TAMU students, faculty and staff, including SSC and Chartwells associates.

The 12th Can is located at 957 Agronomy Road and is open every other week on Wednesday and Thursday.

The next days they will be open are May 13th and May 27th.

SSC at TAMU welcomes Jovannie Lagman to the Human Resources staff as a Recruiter. Jovannie was born and raised in the Phillippines. She moved to the united States in 2013 and has spent a short time in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Los Angeles before settling in College Station. Jovannie is a soccer-mom, orchestra-mom, student council-mom, and ballet-mom of two dynamic children. She has a Bachelors in Psychology, Professional in Human Resources (PFR) Certified, and has worked in Human Resources since 2005. She has experience in recruitment, administration of benefits, labor relations and employee engagement. Jovannie loves employee engagement and coordinating annual corporate events. She also does event planning on the side for family and friends. Jovannie says “My goal is to establish roots and grow into Human Resources because I love being part of something big and play a meaningful part in its achievements of its goals.”

The SSC Grounds Management Team has been awarded a 4 STAR Accreditation from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) for the Texas A&M University Campus. This is a great honor as there is currently only five other college campuses with this accreditation.

The grounds team worked together for months on the extensive application process to provide the necessary documentation and explanation of the management practices used on the Texas A&M campus.

Here is an excerpt from the Compass Group Corporate newsletter explaining the value of this accreditation: 

The PGMS Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation program is a dynamic evaluation tool that can be utilized by facilities and organizations that have a landscape services or grounds component. To receive this 4-star accreditation rating, the SSC grounds unit has demonstrated that it continues to meet the PGMS Accreditation program’s ground management requirements, including environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic performance and that it remains committed to striving for excellence. “This accomplishment is by no means an easy task; this required a strong commitment with dedicated folks to not only show evidence that the grounds management best practices were in place at the university, but that they were implemented correctly and are monitored as required by the program to show their excellence,” said Joe Jackson, Accreditation Facilitator for PGMS. “The grounds manager, staff, and SSC leadership should be highly commended for this accomplishment. It is by no means an easy task and is very demanding for any organization. To get 4-stars is a testament to the dedication and commitment of SSC and Texas A&M University.”

SSC at TAMU is very proud of the entire Grounds Department for their work on campus and for the teamwork and dedication that the management team (listed below) put forward to earn this 4 STAR accreditation.

Phillip Zellner CPTM | Regional Director of Operations, Grounds Management

Mike Teal, PLA | Heavy Equipment, Landscape Construction Manager

Bryan McGee ACE, CPTM | Lawn & Ornamental, Pest Control Manager

Brian Carey CPTM, CSFM | Sports & Fine Turf Manager

Ricky Scher CPTM | Turf & RELLIS Manager

Neil Fletcher | Horticulture & Arboriculture Manager

Carla Wiseniske Leonard | Special Projects, Greenhouse & Sanitation Manager

Patrick Towns | Irrigation Manager

Krista Phillips | Grounds Administrative Supervisor

Barbara Musgrove | Strategic Project Managemen

Matthew Powell | GIS Intern, Graduate Student Worker

What is aeration?

Aeration is the process of mechanically removing, in our case using specialized equipment, small plugs of thatch and soil from the turf to improve air exchange between the soil and its surrounding atmosphere.  It’s commonly called “core aeration”, or soil cultivation (coring, spiking, and slicing).

Benefits of aeration

•    Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere.

•    Enhanced soil water uptake.

•    Improved fertilizer uptake and use.

•    Reduced water runoff and puddling.

•    Stronger turfgrass roots.

•    Reduced soil compaction.

•    Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance.

•    Improved resiliency and cushioning.

•    Enhanced thatch breakdown.

Breaking Cores and Top-Dressing

After we run the aerator and pull the plugs, we use either a drag or a mower to break up the cores. We then apply concentrated organic compost from a Houston, Texas company called San Jacinto Environmental Supplies. This product helps to improve the soil by removing salts and adding over 100+ minerals, vitamins, natural plant hormones, natural plant stimulators, essential sugars/amino acids/carbon and billions of beneficial microrganisms including Endo and Ecto Mycorrhizal fungi.

Why is aeration necessary?

Compact soil prevents grass from establishing a healthy root system and keeps water and fertilizer from reaching the roots.

In much of the turf on Texas A&M campus, fertile topsoil may have been removed or buried during construction, forcing grass to grow in subsoil that is more compact, higher in clay content and less likely to sustain a healthy lawn.

Walking, playing and mowing will compact soil and stress lawns. Raindrops and irrigation further compact the soil, reducing large air spaces where roots readily grow. Compaction is greater on heavy clay soils, like ours, than on sandy soils, and it is greatest in the upper 1 to 1 1/2 inches of soil.

Aeration can help relieve soil compaction, allowing grass to grow deeper roots and make better use of water and fertilizer. Furthermore, we have high soil Ph and water Ph and both our soil and water contain high levels of sodium. Aeration and topdressing help to flush salts and lower Ph over time.

Aeration is just one more of the many little things SSC does to improve the quality of life for the students, faculty, staff and visitors that enjoy the grounds of the magnificent University.

provided by Bryan McGee ACE,CPTM | Pest Control Manager Texas A&M

MAINTENANCE NEW ASSOCIATES

Edwin Campbell

Custodial

Ruth Alvarez

Atonya Anderson

Alma Moreno

Rafeala Vasquez

Maria Alma Villarreal

EDCS Quarterly

Lisa Gray

Grounds

Allen Jackson

Victor Pierce III

James Williams

Maintenance

Brett Campbell

Raymond Covington

Barclay Stephens