Grounds crew to plant 70 more trees to beautify campus

    75

    By JESSICA OROZCO

    The quads around the Wilkinson Student Center will come to lifeafter Thanksgiving when a variety of trees, shrubbery and seasonal plants are installed.

    The plant life will be planted in Lee Lane, Brigham’s Square and Wilkinson Way, said Roy Peterman, director of grounds maintenance.

    Peterman said there will be about 70 trees, including 6 trees that will be in portable planters.

    Bruce Maw, a landscaper architect for planning, said the portable planters will allow the trees to be easily moved for major events. The planters are about seven feet in diameter and three feet in height.

    The planters will partially fill the space that is available in the quad areas. Maw said the main purpose of the addition is to make the ample space more visually interesting.

    Maw said when he was deciding what kind of trees to use, he thought of introducing a variety of types and colors.

    One of the new variety of trees that are going to be planted is the Frontier Elm, a type of tree that is found no where else on campus, Maw said.

    Maple trees, honey locusts and oak trees will also be part of the variety that will be planted, Peterman said.

    In the future, the trees will grow to create a sort of canopy that will shade part of the quad areas, Peterman said.

    Christina Remington, 23, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in theatre, said the trees will help unify the feel of campus.

    “I think it will definitely beautify that area. It needs something like that so it can match the rest of our beautiful campus,” Remington said.

    By placing something familiar to a person in an open space, a person will get a sense of space and scale, Maw said.

    Another reason more plant life will be added is to limit vehicle access to the portion of the Wilkinson Way that is above the underground tunnel, Maw said. It’s a safety issue, he said.

    Pedestrian traffic on the grass was also decreased when the benches were added in the quad area. Peterman said the reason they were installed was to create a physical barrier for students.

    “With the benches there, students are not able to cut corners on the grass,” Peterman said.

    Peterman said he hopes they will start the project after Thanksgiving. He said he is behind schedule because the grounds crew is understaffed by about 100 people.

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email