UNC’s campus is divided into zones and a crew is dedicated to each zone, groundskeeper David Brannigan said. Brannigan and his crew cover the zone that encompasses Polk Place, stretching from Hamilton Hall to Peabody Hall.
“We don’t really have a typical day because things like President Obama’s visit get sprung on us and then there are other seasonal dynamics, and of course there are things like football games on the weekend,” he said.
Although groundskeepers and maintenance workers don’t always have typical days, there is a general routine that starts with coming to campus at 6 a.m., Brannigan said.
“We come on campus real early partly for safety reasons so that we see anything that might have occurred overnight, limbs falling, stuff like that,” he said. “In winter, snow and ice, and this time of year leaves actually, surprisingly can be quite dangerous when they’re very dry they’re slick and when they’re wet they’re very slick.”
Anna Wu, associate vice chancellor for facilities services, said beautification of the campus is very important in maintaining UNC’s image.
“Admissions will always tell you that our landscape and our campus is probably in the top 10 of what, you know, attracts new students and people to come to any campus,” she said.
A major part of campus beautification is the seasonal work done by the workers, Brannigan said.
“A certain seasonal imperative is pruning at the right time of year and fertilizing, things like that so just a general sort of horticultural maintenance throughout the year depending on seasonal and natural requirements,” he said.
