Eastern Land Management (ELM) works across the four-campus site with a full-time crew. The university adheres to high standards for sustainability and aesthetics as part of its master plan. (Photo: Courtesy of Eastern Land Management)
DETAILS: A private college founded in the early 1960s, Sacred Heart University sits nestled in suburban Fairfield, Conn., 50 miles north of New York City.
Since 2010, Eastern Land Management’s Monroe, Conn., branch has provided full-service maintenance, including lawn services, bed maintenance, daily porter services, watering annuals and adding new plantings.
Greg Gross, Monroe branch manager at Eastern Land Management (ELM), says there are 10 employees on-site to cover the 50-plus-acre property.
“We have one mowing maintenance crew that takes care of all the spring and cleanup and mowing operations,” he says. “We have another doing the day-to-day necessities, ensuring the campus is beautiful at all times.”
The biggest challenges facing crews are ones you might expect from providing maintenance on an active college campus in the New England area, including the weather, although Gross says that recent winters have been mild, opening up the opportunity to do more in the cold.
“The winter has been milder, and we haven’t been snow-covered. So we’ve been able to do some landscaping tasks over the winter, like tree pruning and dormant shrub pruning.”
The turf
on the property is a mix of fescue and bluegrass.
ELM provides a fertility and plant and soil health program, continually adapted to ensure plants’ vitality in extreme weather. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
ELM recently installed a flower bed with red and white plantings in the shape of the University’s SHU wordmark, according to Greg Gross, branch manager. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
SHU’s red and white colors can be seen throughout the campus in color beds, container displays and hanging baskets. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
Martire Family Arena’s main entrance features focal points, hanging baskets in school colors and a water-conserving landscape planted with bergamot and northeast native plant material, including low-grow blueberry bushes. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
Due to extreme shifts in recent weather patterns, plant material is regularly evaluated for its adaptability and resilience, and there is a plan in place to refresh and update planting strategies to improve plant hardiness and environmental resilience. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
Thea’s Abbey in Pioneer Village is SHU’s dining facility with outdoor eating areas. The university’s campus life is largely facilitated by its walkability, healthy outdoor green spaces and water-tolerant landscapes. (Photo: Eastern Land Management)
Eastern Land Management (ELM) works across the four-campus site with a full-time crew. The university adheres to high standards for sustainability and aesthetics as part of its master plan. (Photo: Courtesy of Eastern Land Management)
