Live Oak’s Education Grounds Management Services
At Live Oak, we understand that the appearance of your educational institution's grounds is of utmost importance. Our comprehensive grounds management program provides a range of world-class services, including grass and turf maintenance, landscape design and maintenance, tree care, irrigation, lighting, fertilization scheduling, weed and pest management, storm preparation and response with 24/7 care, licensed pest control, snow removal, special events management, waste and trash management, composting and conservation, and a dedicated operations manager and on-site management team.
Outsourcing your grounds management program will not only enhance the beauty and safety of your campus, but will also reduce your liability and insurance costs. You will have less risk of injury, thereby reducing any workers’ compensation claims and adding value to benefit your institution’s brand. Our quality program is designed to provide measurable results, with key performance indicators in place to continuously assess our performance and report on your important metrics.
Read on to learn more about our comprehensive grounds management services, uniquely created for educational institutions.
1. SPECIAL EVENT MANAGEMENT
Special events are just that, special. Whether it’s commencement, homecoming, parents’ weekend, alumni events, or guest speaker presentations, our on-site management team will help ensure your special event goes off without a hitch. From set-up to tear-down, our team is always ready to take on that event which needs the extra special attention. We will spend the extra time planning for the event as well as any other contingencies (i.e. weather, extra staffing or other unforeseen issues).
Special Event Services include:
Event budget development and maintenance
Equipment and labor support
Layout and mapping
Holiday decorations set up and tear down (both interior and exterior)
Sports Events, including championships, tournaments and special visitors
2. WINTER AND STORM SERVICES
When it comes to addressing the elements, our clients value the peace of mind that comes from partnering with Live Oak. We help to create a reliably safe property with dependable and effective snow, ice and storm management delivered by a professional team.
Our planning is tailored to reduce risk. We monitor 24/7 and our on-site team is available at a moment’s notice to address any urgent issues. Our clients value our constant communication before and during any weather event. As part of our winter services program, we will implement a brining program that can reduce the use of salt on campus.
3. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TEAM
A dedicated operations manager as well as a full on-site management team will serve as your on-site experts and point of contact for all of your grounds maintenance needs, ensuring timely response and coordination with your facilities management. At a moment’s notice, this team is able to respond 24/7 to any issue for all constituent groups including students, administration and faculty.
This team facilitates project management between various on-site departments, including administration, facilities and athletics. The on-site team handles everything from parking space management to special event management. Their proximity and dedicated care allow them to quickly respond to urgent issues such as storm flooding, snow removal and irrigation emergencies.
During our daily executive huddle, our team discusses any notable issues that may arise from the day, any schedule issues or obstacles to achieve our daily service, and any projects that may be stalled for unforeseen reasons. This comprehensive approach allows us to plan better for the next day.
4. ATHLETICS MAINTENANCE
We understand that athletes and their schools want to compete at the highest level of their ability on the safest of grounds possible. Our goal is to ensure that your athletic fields are well maintained, ensuring an equal playing field for all.
Our on-site management team will work in concert with your Athletics Department to assess all aspects of field maintenance—including structures, water, and irrigation to ensure the safety and aesthetic value of your athletic properties.
Athletic services may include grading and edging infields, installing and maintaining mounds, grooming and watering natural turf fields, optimizing field irrigation, and maintaining any artificial turf. We always practice due diligence by researching and following the rules governed by the institution’s athletic standing.
5. SAFETY AND TRAINING
Safety and Training are of utmost importance to our team. Created by our Executive Team, Live Oak University (“LOU”), offers a unique curriculum to train our landscape technicians the “Live Oak” Way to perform each task specific to our grounds management program.
Safety and Training includes:
Training to look for safety hazards on campus (i.e., cracks in walks, hanging tree limbs, drainage issues that may cause flooding)
Powering down equipment as people approach
Hosting a daily safety meeting
Having weekly tailgate talks and quarterly training sessions with every member of the staff
Outfitting every team member with OSHA approved personal protection equipment from head to toe
Providing mandatory annual CPR and First Aid training
Requiring an annual review of our Safety Manual with all team members
Ensuring all crew leads are licensed and certified in pesticide safety
6. SITE ANALYSIS
At Live Oak, we perform comprehensive site walks for each client, which include an analysis of your campus to provide cost savings options and aesthetic improvements. We encourage environmentally-friendly practices, and help to preserve the natural beauty of the campus with the use of native plants for sustainability. Our team will also conduct a soil analysis to ensure proper fertilization, as well as a Green Reserve Study to show the cost saving benefits of investing in the landscape.
7. DESIGN SERVICES
At Live Oak, we have an on staff licensed landscape architect with thirty plus years’ of experience. The account management team brings fifty plus years’ of experience in creating beautiful landscapes. Our team studies the landscape and installs the right plant for the location. We utilize natural plantings for geographical areas, as well as low maintenance varieties to enhance the landscape scenery.
Design Services include:
Full design from zero landscape to a completed project with maintenance capabilities
Colorful and vibrant designs accompanied by plant layout and sample pictures and materials
Refurbishing of existing landscape (including transplanting, working with what is on site, and adding and subtracting to make the landscape change)
Developing budgets and working within them
Drainage and grading
Natural plant selection
8. BUDGET & COST SAVINGS
Understanding the unique needs of your college or university, we will analyze your requirements and develop an annual or multi-year budget for the services required based upon the contract period. Having a budget you can count on will assist you in your financial planning.
We understand that your core focus is excelling as an educational institution and grounds maintenance isn’t your primary operation. A partnership with Live Oak allows you to focus on your core competencies and enhance the student experience. Let our professionals take care and manage your campus’ day-to-day grounds maintenance needs.
9. PLANT & TURF HEALTHCARE
We recognize that not every site requires the same approach to plant health and turf care. At Live Oak, we offer a wide array of treatment possibilities for almost any situation. We provide full season health care and we are licensed for commercial pesticide use in Core, 3A, 3B, Right of Way and School IPM. Additional licenses include our Fertilizer and Irrigation Contractor Licenses.
Our comprehensive Turf Programs are designed to meet the horticultural needs of the site based upon soil analysis and testing. Our team can manage, optimize and implement all facets of turf and plant health care, including pesticides, fertilizers, lime, aeration, seeding and moisture level.
10. IRRIGATION SERVICES
For each and every client, our irrigation technicians will conduct an analysis to evaluate the campus irrigation system and offer proactive solutions to save water and money on irrigation systems. Our team proactively adapts areas to the growing and changing environment to ensure conservation.
With the use of state-of-the-art technology, we are able to monitor water usage and make adjustments for savings. Our team has the ability to modify areas of the campus and instill proper watering techniques to conserve water, resulting in cost savings. Our in-house licensed irrigation contractor is an invaluable asset when it comes to optimizing your campus irrigation strategy.
11. WASTE MANAGEMENT
On-site waste management engineers are always ready and available to monitor and remove waste, thus maintaining the pristine and aesthetic value of your campus. Additional services included in our waste management program include the tracking and reporting of recycling numbers for compliance. Many of our educational clients experience increased cost savings due to crossover operations from interior services.