UTB-TSC wins national award for landscaping and grounds maintenance

The Professional Grounds Management Society has awarded the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College first place in the category of Urban University Grounds.

PGMS’s annual competition evaluates different categories of grounds maintenance, including hospitals, hotels and government buildings during the Green Star Awards competition.

UTB-TSC, which won the grand award in its category, submitted photographs of the courtyard and grounds surrounding the Education and Business Complex for consideration. The section of campus includes a variety of tropical plants, which Superintendent of Grounds Lawrence Neuburg said he hoped would wow judges.

Jacaranda trees, southern magnolias, royal palms, bird of paradise, and hibiscus are just some of the plants that grace this section of campus, making it a truly lush environment.

UTB-TSC could also be called the underdog in the competition: With a 2008-2009 budget of just more than $53,000, UTB-TSC vanquished The Catholic University of America, which had a budget of more than $1 million.

Maintenance managers Albert Ruiz, Juan Morales and Rafael Ruiz said that careful management of the university’s landscaping is an important part of the university’s image, particularly to distinguished guests.

"We have a lot of visitors come in from outside so we need to make sure everything looks great," Morales said.

Students may not realize how much work goes into keeping the campus beautiful: The school’s maintenance crew arrives at 6 a.m. to cut grass, trim bushes and trees, and plant new shrubs.

"When you work at maintaining the campus and then come back and see the results, it’s impressive," Ruiz said. "We take pride in it."