The people of Physical Plant's Grounds Services Department have a new home and they'd like to show it off to the rest of the community.
There will be an open house from 10am to 2pm on Friday, Sept. 22, at 310 Massachusetts Ave., Building NW62. The new location is near Random Hall on the west side of the avenue, just a few hundred yards from the Student Center.
Previously, the 45 people in the department were somewhat scattered-some in a garage at Vassar Street and Massachusetts Avenue, others further down Vassar Street in the building across from the athletic fields.
"We're all in one place now and we feel good about that," said Robert H. Hagerty, manager of Grounds Services.
The staff numbers 42 hourly people-including 25 groundsworkers, eight drivers, four gardners, three movers, two garage mechanics, three supervisors, one manager and one clerical person.
They are responsible for landscaping, grounds maintenance and snow removal on MIT's 150-acre campus, which extends more than one mile along the Charles River and which includes 60 academic buildings, 37 service-related buildings, 25 housing structures, 26 parking lots, five parking garages and 18 acres of athletic fields. Grounds is equipped with a fleet of 20 service vehicles, 26 pieces of heavy equipment and 87 pieces of small equipment.
The department has established a five-year tree pruning program and a three-year line-painting program for parking areas. In addition, the group provides the Institute with a moving service, a shuttle service and bulk mail deliveries for the campus.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 20, 1995.
