A well-maintained landscape lends more than dollar value to a property. In Ocean County, New Jersey, for example, beautiful shade trees, attractive gardens and manicured turf create an inviting environment for both county office workers and visitors. Nowhere is that more evident than in the county seat of Toms River.
“A visitor recently asked me, ‘What campus is this?’” relates George Stryker, referring to the county’s downtown office complex. The inquiry added to the pride this retiring grounds supervisor holds for his department’s work. After all, it’s no small feat to install and maintain landscapes in one of the state’s largest and highest-profile counties—one that stretches for 638 square miles and extends 20 miles north and south of Toms River.
“I believe the public appreciates our efforts,” says Stryker. “We’re constantly planting and pruning trees, installing seasonal color, and policing the grounds. All together, our 10 groundskeepers also mow and maintain 36 acres of irrigated turf and 40 to 50 acres of non-irrigated turf.” The Ocean County Building and Grounds department provides all landscaping services in-house, excluding Integrated Pest Management (IPM) services and irrigation repair, which it subcontracts out.
Despite the department’s green focus, its duties don’t end with the growing season. The grounds crew is also responsible for keeping properties snow- and ice-free, including clearing snow off five miles of sidewalks. The grounds supervisor also oversees the operation of emergency generators that provide standby electrical power to many of the county’s 38 buildings.
Long Tenure
Stryker began working for the county in 1993, starting out as a groundskeeper. “I’m turning 70 and it’s time to spend more time with my wife, Barbara, and a few more days a week with an old fishing buddy,” he relates. “Barbara will likely introduce me to the operation of a vacuum cleaner and a few other household tools, but I’ll plead ignorance.”
He can plead all he wants, but she knows that reliability should be her husband’s middle name. In fact, Stryker can only remember once in the last 18 years when he didn’t make it to work, and that occurred last year. “It snowed so much that I couldn’t open any door in the house,” he recalls. “I finally was able to remove a window in one of the doors and scrape the snow away, only to get stuck halfway down the drive.”
What Stryker needed was what he didn’t have that morning, one of his department’s 12 Walker Mowers, outfitted with a snowblower and a cab. “We have a snowblower, blade and broom attachment for each of 10 mowers,” he explains, “along with a few other attachments including the Perfaerator and dethatcher.”
Year-Round Versatility
Walker dealer Brian Lonergan, owner of Ace Outdoor Power Equipment in nearby Bayville, introduced the grounds department to Walker Mowers 15 years ago. Today, the department operates with four 23-hp and eight 20-hp models. The oldest is 10 years old, the newest is two, and three are diesel-powered.
“One of the features we like about the mower is that it does so many things for us,” explains supervisor of grounds Joseph LaManna, who started working for the county a year after the first Walker Mower made its appearance. “Right now it is fall cleanup time, and soon the Walkers will be readied for snow. During the growing season, crews employ 42-inch GHS decks when the grass is growing at its peak and then switch to 42-inch mulching decks during hot, slower growing summer months.”
“They’re easy to maintain, too,” adds Stryker. “Our department performs 85 percent of the maintenance on the machines, and we keep an inventory of belts and other repair items on hand.” But most of all, he appreciates the quality of cut the mowers deliver. “We mow a lot of high-profile areas such as the courthouse and library,” he emphasizes. “No other machine leaves the cut a Walker does. We know; we’ve tried many brands.”
Two Kubota zero-turn mowers for wide-area mowing, RedMax backpack blowers, Tanaka edgers, and Stihl chainsaws and trimmers round out the bulk of the county’s lawn maintenance equipment. All the equipment is on a maintenance schedule, and the mowers are thoroughly cleaned and blades changed weekly. “Again, it’s important for the county’s image to keep equipment maintained and looking good,” Stryker notes.
Lonergan says other people notice, especially some of his customers. “Over the years, several contractor customers have actually waited for the county to trade in its mowers so they could buy them. They see them around town and know how well they’ve been maintained.” As he points out, it pays to keep equipment in top running order to optimize performance, minimize downtime, and increase resale value.
Summer Heat
Being on the Jersey Shore has its advantages and disadvantages. Ocean County has become a retirement center, and summers see the area’s population jump from 600,000 to well over a million. That’s good news for local businesses, but for longtime residents it makes getting around town a little more arduous.
Summers can be very hot and humid, too. To beat the heat, mowing crews work from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and they’re allowed to wear shorts. They mow three days a week, and spend the other two installing color, weeding beds, pruning trees and performing other landscape maintenance services.
“When I first started working, this area over here was completely barren,” says Stryker, pointing to a park-like setting with several mature trees. A Walker Mower in the background is picking up leaves that have just begun to fall. “It is amazing how quickly time flies,” he reflects. “I’ve totally enjoyed my time here, but now it’s time to pass the baton.” And create subject matter for a few more fishing stories, he might add.
Site Search
