6
Monday, March 27. 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Campus suffers from drought; spring showers needed
by Merceda Ares
Kansan staff writer
Landscape maintenance workers are praying for rain, fearing that another dry year could mean trouble.
"I'm not anticipating a drought," said Gregory Wade, landscape architect for facilities planning. "It's pretty hard to predict what the weather will be like if we really having drought problems, we'll be watering."
Jim Mathes, assistant director of landscape maintenance for facilities operations, said 10 inches of rain was to make up for this year's dry weather.
"We have suffered some losses — we still may continue to suffer some losses. If it's really, really dry this summer, we can just continue." And we could be in really bad shape."
"We didn't have any snow and the lawn looks in real bad shape," he said. "If we don't get spring rains and a snow cover, our built back up, we'll be hurting."
James Hayes, weather service specialist for the National Weather Bureau in Topeka, said this year's three-quarter of an inch below normal.
"We started off pretty well in January, but February and March were not very good, which is the way we got here. We eyesyears." "We hope it not a repeat."
Extra watering
Rainfall for June, July and August was three inches below normal, he said. Facilities operations took up the slack by watering more.
Last summer, during July, August and September, facilities operations used 109.4 million gallons of water on the ground for drinking and irrigation more than in the same period in 1987.
To combat the effects of the dry weather, 13 irrigation systems are used on campus. Mathes said.
Most of the watering last summer was done at night to prevent students, faculty and visitors from getting wet, Mathes said.
"The biggest pain was having to pull a crew to come in and work at night," Mathes said. "Three or four years ago we watered at nights for about six weeks. That year we tried to keep more of the campus green.
"Once you start artificial watering, you have to keep it up until it rains naturally because the grass becomes more tender to heat."
Randy Russell, ground maintenance supervisor for facilities operations, said he liked watering at night the best.
"It's a lot easier at night," he said. "You don't have to worry about getting students wet."
Water consumption
Millions of gallons of water are used each month by Facilities Operations Below are figures for their water consumption during some of the hottest months of the year
11
Jim Mathes facilities operations
If we don't get spring rains and get our reservoir built back up, we'll be hurting.'
He said the hardest part was moving the pipe around. Watering equipment varies from garden hoses to 20-pound, pipe which weighs up to 20 pounds.
"It stays for about two hours in one spot, then we tear it down and move it to another spot," Russell said. "Sometimes we move it four of five times."
Gary Baker, utility worker for facilities operations, disagreed.
"Watering is about the worst," he said. "You're wet for eight hours. But I've never been sick from it."
Extended irrigation
wade said facilities planning would like to extend the automatic water irrigation systems on campus. He said plans were being made to add them to the new parking garage, the science and technology library, the Robert J. Dole Human Development Center and perhaps Strong Hall.
He said although it depended on how much money was left after construction of the buildings was completed, he probably would be put in at each site.
"Our campus has been geared to
live with the water it has." Wade said. "If our rainfall consistently falls short over the next 10 years, I’m sure we'll try to extend our irrigation."
He said irrigation only would be extended to areas where there was a high priority for the lawn to look good. He said using irrigation could reduce labor costs and enhance the quality of the landscape.
"I don't know whether we'll add irigation to every new building." Wade said. "We're looking at adding irigation to the south side of Strong Hall. That's an area we would want to look as good as possible."
To assist the landscape crews and irrigation, Mathes said more plants that require little water would be planted on campus.
"We'll be using drought-resistant plants around the new buildings on campus," he said. "However, the emphasis up here is more on the attractiveness of plants than it is on plant hardiness."
Drought-resistant plants have been produced to thrive in warm, dry weather. Mathes said. Most drought-resistant plants are grown in the Southwest and naturally are drought-resistant.
Mathes said the main difference between drought-resistant plants and ones that were not was the thickness of skins, which were not very noticeable.
Azaleas and rhododendrons, such as the ones in front of the Spencer Museum of Art, are colorful but not drought-resistant, he said. The majority of plants on campus are drought-resistant.
Some plants on campus died because of last year's dry summer, but it was hard to tell how many because some are diving now, he said.
The hardest hit areas on campus were in front of Wescoe Hall and behind Summerfield Hall. Mathes said the automatic irrigation systems for the planters in front of Wescoe were not operational for part of the summer, so all the shrubs and plants had to be relocated.
Mathes said there were priority areas on campus that maintenance workers tried to keep green.
"We try to keep the high-use areas looking nice, like the one between Staufer-Flint (Hint and Wescow)," he said. "A lot of people go out on there when the weather is nice and teachers take their classes out there."
Even though this year's rainfall is below normal, and plants are dying, Judith Ramaley, executive vice president, main campus still looked good.
"Of all the campuses I've been on, I believe KU is superior," she said.
A facilities operations landscape crew adds dirt to the lawn at the chancellor's residence. Charlie Patton, landscape worker, left, and Terry Lund, utility worker, worked on the lawn Friday preparing it for new grass seed. Last summer's drought did enough damage to force landscape crews to reseed many of the lawns on campus.
Kansas schools report shortages of workers
- Continued from p. 1
He said new incentives were being introduced to entice students.
"I don't think there any student working for under $4 an hour," he said. "We're trying to institute a policy that if they come back year after year, we'll give them a raise."
Mathes said this year's budget allowed for eight students,but only four were working so far.
"Some students have an image, and they won't go below that image," he said. "They couldn't face the camera, and they were seen picking up trash."
"We need students who can come in and work a four-hour shift in the afternoon," Mathes said.
"When I came to the University 11 years ago, if I had 10 positions, I had 60 applicants. Now, sometimes it is to the point that if anyone walks in and can breathe, they're hired."
He said it also was more difficult to fill student positions because many students' class schedules conflicted with work shifts.
"Not too many students have their classes set up to do that."
Daniel Herzog, Wichita senior,
said he usually worked 12 hours a
week for the landscape
department.
"It's a job," he said. "Hopefully, I won't be working here after I graduate."
Mathes said lack of manpower also was more of a problem with new structures. This year, a new parking garage north of Allen Field House, the science and engineering campus, at J Dole Human Development Center are under construction on main campus.
"Every new building they build increases maintenance needs," he said. "And if they don't get new things like something else is going to shin away."
He said even 100 feet of added sidewalk caused extra work in upkeep, such as sweeping it and trimming weeds around its edges.
"When they build the new Ernest Lied Performing Arts
Center, that area, which would normally take half a day to take care of, will take a full day," Mathes said.
Although not as pinched as KU other Kansas schools have their own personnel problems.
Rod Ruthrstrom, grounds department supervisor at Kansas State University, said 25 full-time employees and four students who worked part-time cared for the 400-acre campus.
"During the summer we have about 30 students, and if we're not able to keep up with the work, we hire more," Rusthrom said.
Woodrow DePontier, assistant director of landscape maintenance at Wichita State University, said to maintain their 200-acre campus, an additional six full-time employees would be needed.
"We have 22 permanent workers and four part-time students," he said. "We're pretty self-sufficient. We contract nothing out. We'd like to keep a very high maintenance level."
Mathes said the personnel shortage at KU might decrease in the future.
"It looks like we'll get a slight increase in budget next year, but it won't make up for what we've lost over the last five years," he said.
KU Students Against Hunger Present:
KU WAR ON HUNGER
MARCH 27 - APRIL 2,1989
CALENDER OF EVENTS:
Monday, March 27;
Tuesday, March 28:
Balloon Launch at noon in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall, sponsored by Delta Sigma Pi.
Wednesday, March 29: "American Activism: Ending World Hunger". Panel discussion begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Big Eight Room of the Kansas Union.
Human Water Molecule at noon behind Campanile, built by KU Pharmacy students.
Thursday, March 30: "Food Fight" Benefit Concert featuring The Homestead Grays, Love Squad, and Darrel Lea. Starts at 9:00 p.m. at The Bottleneck. Admission $4, or $3 with a can of food.
Friday, March 31: "Touch 'em All" Softball Tournament Championship Game. Starts at 5:00 p.m. at the field south of Watkins Hospital
Saturday, April 1: Hunger Clean-Up
12:00-3:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 2: "Culinary Culture Banquet Starts at 6:45 p.m. at St. Lawrence Campus Center sponsored by St. Lawrence Human Services Committee