Hello Park People!
Last week, I had the opportunity to assist workers in the Grounds division of Maintenance (APM) at Independence Hall National Historical Park. The Grounds division is responsible for maintaining the lawns, gardens, etc. within the park. Some of the tasks that the Grounds division does in order to maintain these parts of the park include lawn care, planting, weed pulling, plant pruning, picking up trash, and pest control. Throughout the three days I had spent with the Grounds crew, I was able to assist in almost every one of these tasks.
 |
| Pulling weeds at Independence Mall |
My second day with the Grounds crew was just as exciting as the first! We grabbed some weed whackers, shovels, brooms, and rakes and headed to the Bishop White House. The day prior I had the privilege of going inside of this building which was very interesting because this resource is not currently open to the public. The area behind the Bishop White House is also closed to the public but needed some work. There were a lot of weeds that had grown in the cracks in the ground. One of the Grounds crew workers used the weed whacker to get rid of these weeds. My job was to then rake/sweep and collect all of the waste to be discarded. This took up a good amount of the day. In the afternoon, I was shown how the inventory system works for all of the cleaning/maintenance supplies in the maintenance building. Buildings and areas throughout the entire park use these supplies, so it is very important that this area is kept as organized as possible.
 |
| Sweeping plant debris behind the Bishop White House |
My third and final day with the Grounds crew included a few different tasks. We started the day by mowing the grass in two different gardens in the park. The first garden we worked on was the Magnolia Garden. For this garden, I assisted by using the leaf blower after the Grounds crew members mowed the grass. This is a small garden, so it did not take too long. We then moved over to another garden area near Carpenter Hall. In this area, I used the push mower to mow the grass. The rest of the day was spent picking up trash in different locations in the park. We first started at the Graff house, then made our way over to Christ Church. In the afternoon, we picked up trash in the Rose garden, and in the lawn in front of the Second Bank building. Overall, this was a very eventful day.
 |
| Mowing the grass near Carpenter’s Hall |
Be First to Comment