Dead areas sprinkled with litter were transformed during the summer to clean, arranged gardens after Plant Facilities listened to faculty’s desire for aesthetic changes.
Child Development and Academic Center (CDAC) faculty asked if there was something that could be done about the outside area surrounding their classrooms.
The need for new landscaping was brought to the attention of Paul Nieman, the director of plant facilities, at a staff meeting, according to Operations Manager Rodney Allen.
As a result, there are two new gardens in front of Industrial Tech and Auto and the CDAC.
Allen brought the issue to Pierce Gardening Supervisor Than Ta, who gathered his staff and began work the first weekend in August, Allen said.
The project took the entirety of August to complete, but landscape projects on campus are not stopping there. Allen said plans are being made to continue campus beautification as the semester continues.
Patricia Doelitzsch, the chair of the Child Development and Education Department, said that the maintenance and gardening staff on campus are keeping up with landscaping the new areas. Using fresh plants to make the area look appealing and beautiful to those who view it, is a priority for the design plans. Gardeners Dream online is a site that has been looked for these foliage designs, they’ll constantly be updating the plants as the seasons go by to make sure the landscape thrives all year round.
Doelitzsch’s office is located right in front of the new garden, and she said she is very happy with the changes.
“With the garden in place, when you come to work, you see this beautiful landscape, and we now fit with the rest of the college,” Doelitzsch’s said. “It’s nice to direct people to our buildings by referencing the new garden.”
Nataly Beyleryen, a first-year student at Pierce, is excited about the campus landscapes. She said that beautifying the campus acts as a big motivator for students to come to Pierce for an education.
“If the campus is nice, pretty, and happy, then people have a good feeling about it,” Beyleryen said.
The campus beautification project is in continuation, and the gardening staff are working on the outside landscape reconstruction on campus.
Allen couldn’t say enough about his hardworking staff, who played a major role in the renovation.
“The entire staff chipped in, did whatever was asked to do, and worked overtime if necessary,”Allen said. “They appreciate and take pride in their work. When I ask the gardening staff to do something, they do it.”
According to Allen, the gardening staff helps in many other departments. Pierce College is the biggest campus in the district, and though they only have 18 maintenance employees, they easily do the work of 25, he said.
Doelitzsch said the work put into the new gardens was a quick job well done.
“It makes coming to work so much nicer. The Pierce College staff that put it in was so accommodating, and they took our suggestions, so a big thank you to them,” Doelitzsch said.
