Weathering diverse conditions
During the winter, Jenks’ focus shifts from campus beautification to campus safety. His team is essential during snowstorms, which often mean 15-hour workdays. During the winter of 2010, the team stayed late one evening after campus had been evacuated. By the time they finished their work, the weather had worsened and they were stranded in their shop overnight.
Even when campus is closed, Jenks and his team shovel and de-ice the miles of sidewalk and more than 500 stairs that wind around campus. It’s a challenge that Jenks says is his least favorite part of the job, but he doesn’t resent the task. “Snow removal is a must, and we’re here to make the campus safe, and we do the best we can,” Jenks says.
Because of the range of conditions, Jenks’ team members have experience in a variety of areas. Each of them has spent at least three years in landscaping, and most range between 10 and 30 years of experience. They’re all experts in a variety of fields, including fertilization, aeration and checking trees for damage or disease. They have their pesticide licenses and attend regular training seminars. “When I started here, we just mowed,” Jenks says.
Working as a team
If anyone has studied UMKC’s landscapes more closely than Jenks, it’s Kevin Thomas. He’s been a member of the landscaping crew for 33 years—longer than some of the plants that have been cycled through multiple generations. Jenks credits Thomas for the appearance of the Hospital Hill campus, which is the pride of the department.
Jenks says he and Thomas often share ideas, like when Thomas suggested they use unearthed rocks to protect the buildings from washouts 10 years ago. Those rock formations adorn the landscape today. “It’s a small thing, but we think it turned out pretty good.”