Have you been busy all summer?
Try fitting this into your schedule—spread 105 yards of compost, plant more than 1,000 flowers, spread 24 yards of sand and put in a new lawn, mow and edge four to five acres of grass each week, trim dozens of trees and shrubs, weed flower beds throughout campus, install two new irrigation systems then throw in some pressure washing and regular leaf blowing for good measure, and you have the foundation for why the Northwest Christian University grounds are more like a garden than a university campus.
“The campus is beautiful,” said Darlene Vermilyea, Accounts Payable/Student Account Specialist. “The flowers really brighten your day.”
“We have an excellent staff who take care of the campus inside and out,” said Oskar Bucher, Plant Manager and an NCU employee for nearly 32-years. “Our work is more than maintenance and landscaping, it is about creating comfortable and beautiful spaces for learning, teaching, working and praying.”
Bucher says there was plenty of work completed inside this summer that will enhance the student, faculty, and staff experience. Much of the interior work was done in Burke-Griffeth Residence Hall where showers were remodeled; including installing new tile, and a fresh coat of paint was applied to several areas. Also, new lights were installed in the parking lot to replace older units.
Bucher has an experienced group. They take on projects all year long to keep the campus looking good and operating efficiently. Tom Kazmarek and Austin Morrow join Kent Willocks, who has led campus gardening initiatives for the past 10-years, on the maintenance/facility team. Hunter Tyler’16, and current NCU students Steven Ray and Kenny Kessler rounded out the crew over the summer.