Warm weather changes plans for IU Grounds

While the past few days have brought traditional winter weather, the overall winter season in Bloomington has been warmer than usual.

The IU Grounds and Maintenance Campus Division usually works through the night to clear snow and salt down icy roads, but the groundskeepers have been mulching and planting flower beds in recent weeks.

“The warm weather has allowed us to speed up our yearly tasks and get ahead of the game,” said Trent Chitwood, general supervisor for the campus division. “We have been mulching around campus, which puts us in a good position for the mowing season.”   

While the unplanned warmth has forced the crew to re-configure its plans, it ultimately has allowed them to be more productive, Campus Division Manager Mike Girvin said.

“Our long-term master plan had to change, but we accomplished a lot on our list of filler projects,” Girvin said. “These are jobs that we have wanted to get done for three or four years, such as general clean up of campus and cleaning debris out of the creek. We now have time for that.”    

He said the weather has also improved employee morale. Girvin explained he couldn’t be more proud of how his team has come

together. He said this weather is also ideal to complete jobs that are typically saved for the summer months because the employees are more comfortable working in the warmer conditions. 

Howver, the weather serves as a red flag for other aspects the crew deals with. Spring flowers such as daffodils have been popping up on campus, and some trees have already started to bud. But the crew can’t get completely out of winter mode in case the weather turns for the worse.

“Our trash has been worse this winter,” Chitwood said. “Normally, the trash load slows down because we have guys out there picking up three to four times a week, but they have been doing other tasks now.”

Environmentally, this early warmth could cause problems for plants, too, said Vicky Meretsky, associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
   
“For gardeners, the problem tends to be that plants ‘wake up’ too early,” Meretsky said. “Constant freezing and thawing tends to cause frost heaving, which is hard on shallow plant roots, as well as causing damage to roads and sidewalks.”  
 
Roger Hangarter, chancellor’s professor of biology, explained these plant changes would normally be most apparent in non-native species. The native plants will stay dormant longer since they use day length as a seasonal cue.

Areas around the Sample Gates and the Indiana Memorial Union have already been mulched for spring, a task that normally would not be completed until two months down the road.

Because the crew is so far ahead of schedule, one project that the division hopes to focus on in the spring is turf care, Chitwood said.

“We are normally struggling to be in this place in late April and early May,” Girvin said. “Needless to say, I have been very pleased with this winter weather.”