Spider Spotlight
A Q&A with Steve Glass Horticulturalist and Landscape Manager, University Facilities
BY PHILLIP GRAVELY
Writer/Editor, University Communications
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Steve Glass prepares to plant a seedling in the woods near Westhampton Lake. |
How long have you been at the University?
Since November 1984.
What does your job entail?
We're responsible for everything that's outside, whether it's landscaping, walks, handrails, light posts or anything else. It tends to be more hectic during the summer than during the school year. In the summer, I may get involved in more than 10-15 projects at a time, and we are very busy with summer camps. During the winter, snow removal is a very important responsibility for landscaping and the entire facilities department.
What are some things you take care of that we may not naturally think of?
The auto shop, where the University vehicles are maintained, is under the landscape department. We have over 100 licensed vehicles on campus. The department also is responsible for inurnments in the Columbarium.
With spring here, you must have plenty of new things to do.
Definitely. One big push is the spring sports season. The new synthetic turf at First Market Stadium has helped a lot by reducing the amount of wear on natural grass fields on campus. We also maintain the field at UR Stadium for the Richmond Kickers. And we plant our spring flowers for campus-150 flats. All in all, we plant about 18,000-22,000 bulbs each year.
Which of the flowers that you plant are annuals and which are perennials?
Tulips are typically treated as annuals because they can come back but often don't. We dig those up and give them to faculty and staff. We try to do as many permanent daffodils as we can, and we plant them in certain areas because of problems with squirrels and voles. (They love tulips, but daffodils are poisonous, and they won't eat them.) The tulips we buy directly from Holland, and they are relatively inexpensive. But the daffodils cost probably twice as much, so we try to save those.
What other projects are you working on now?
We're in the middle of a big tree replacement program. We're planting about 500 full-sized trees (5-8 feet), and we've put in a little over 200 so far. We're actually planting around 2,000 trees, but some of those will be small seedlings that we're planting in the woods. We'll be about halfway done this spring.
What is the importance of doing that?
We have pine trees that have matured to around 100 years old, and if they get diseased or if lightning strikes them, you need to have a succession of trees coming along. If you lose a mature set of trees, it takes 100 years to get another generation.
How often will you do a major planting like this?
This really is a result of the damage caused by [Hurricane] Isabel and [Tropical Storm] Gaston. We plant trees every year, but not to this scale.
When you're not at work, what do you like to do?
My hobby is sailing. I own a 30-year-old, 27-foot sailboat. I just enjoy being out at the water, and I'm not particularly competitive about it.
Anything else we need to know?
Through the 22 years that I've worked here, I've always been lucky to have hard-working people around me. Everyone takes their job very seriously and is very dedicated.
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