Xavier University is an alluring college campus. Woven like a fine tapestry into the cityscape of Cincinnati, this urban college is a parade of old buildings and mature landscapes that challenges even the keenest eye to decipher where the campus begins and where it ends.
Founded in 1831, Xavier has virtually grown up with the city of Cincinnati. Yet, the school’s low-key approach within the community has positioned it as a humble fixture in the area. A large part of this coexistence has been the restoration of old campus buildings, and an undying dedication to maintain the campus grounds.
The university’s man-in-charge of the grounds is grounds supervisor Dick Menke, who aptly directs a staff of 14 people and a diverse line of power equipment. During the growing season, under Menke’s guidance, the campus explodes into a 128-acre symphony of manicured turf, colorful flowering beds, and an overall clean setting for higher education.
Two key members of his troop are 20-year veteran and crew leader/horticulturist Walt Bonvell, and 24-year veteran groundskeeper and proud Walker operator Rex Brown.
“We don’t use the Walkers for every job,” relates Bonvell, “but we could do virtually every job with them.” It is a fine balance, he continues, “We know that without the Walkers we could not perform many of the maintenance jobs with the efficiency that we do now.”
Bonvell’s co-worker Brown agrees, noting with a degree of pleasure that he is the one who wears the Walker hat and carries the Walker keys. “I have gotten to know our Walkers,” says Brown. “And since Walt and I are the only ones who really operate them, we give them special attention to make sure that they are on the job when we need them.”
Xavier’s Walkers have become a campus mainstay, and are well-known for their finishing job, low profile, and ability to maneuver into places where riding lawn mowers should not be able to go. Another way the Walkers excel is using the rotary broom attachment for winter work.
Bonvell explains,“During snows, we are able to run the broom on the brick-paved walkways to keep walking paths clear.”
He recalls how handy the broom worked last year for clearing a late-afternoon snow from in front of the university’s new 10,500-seat Cintas Center.
“It snowed just before a men’s basketball game, and I just swept paths right through here,” Bonvell proclaims proudly while ambling between tree beds in front of the grand building. “No one got snow on their shoes that night!” He goes on to explain how a Walker using a rotary broom, along with a 20-year-old Toro Groundsmaster with a V-blade, make a pretty solid combination for removing snow at Xavier.
Everyone Is Part Of The Mix
Bonvell and Brown emphasize that they are just two of many who help bring this horticultural concert together.
“Just like the equipment, we all play a part in this,” explains Bonvell. He points to a campus softball diamond where the infield is mowed by a Walker and the outfield by a Dixie Chopper.
The grounds crew maintains everything on the fully irrigated campus from small patches of grass on the academic mall to large open fields now incorporated into the campus by a city park project between Xavier and the city of Cincinnati. They even maintain off-campus houses owned by the university.
Maintaining this much property with consistency requires a seasoned staff, one the grounds department develops from hiring full-time positions instead of seasonal help. “We tried seasonal help,” recalls Bonvell, “but not all of them were as committed to the campus as we are — it was a good lesson.”
To be sure, the university takes the condition of its grounds seriously. “The students and faculty like to be comfortable in their surroundings,” says Bonvell, “and it makes visiting parents believe they have made a good choice of universities — a tidy campus even gives people a sense of security.”
While actually mowing 40 to 45 acres a week, the grounds crew has learned to work around campus activities and meld in with the students. As a matter of fact, on the morning of Walker Talk’s springtime visit to campus, a group of students was in the middle of a political protest. Bonvell politely approached them and explained his crew’s responsibilities to irrigate and mow the turf they were sitting on. He says his crew enjoys a nice rapport with students. “You get to know these kids during their four to five years here; they see quite a bit of us, and it is nice having them around, too.”
Bonvell recognizes another significant player in Xavier’s mix — local Walker dealer Larry Barber. “Larry has really been an asset to us when it comes to helping us with our mowers,” Bonvell says. “I can remember the time we bought a snow cab, and he came over and helped us assemble the entire cab, at no extra charge.”
When a summer’s work day draws to a close, the Xavier grounds crew orchestra puts away its mowing instruments. Only then can they take a moment to glance over their work and admire the harmony that is the Xavier University campus.
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