Miller Hall: A Step Outside (Part 4)
Earlier this year, we explored “green-ness” in Part 1 of our series highlighting the behind-the-scenes operations of Miller Hall, the power of its HVAC system against airborne ailments in Part 2, and the vital role of its lighting system in Part 3. Today, we step outside to explore Miller Hall’s grounds.
The accelerated fall semester is over and the burden of final exams has lifted from campus. You sit on a bench on the East-side of the Business School and enjoy unexpected warmth from the late autumn sun. The air is dry and crisp. You smell fragrance from nearby plants and flowers.
A car enters Ukrop Way via Jamestown Road and rolls over the brick pedestrian crossing. It turns right into the parking lot and comes to a stop in a faculty/staff spot. A man in sunglasses comes into sight. You rise; he waves.
You meet halfway, ten feet apart. Both of you are wearing masks. He wears a blue disposable one and you wear your green, 100% cotton, William & Mary mask. He wears a grey uniform: overalls and a collared shirt. The name tags read “William & Mary” and “John.” His boots are slip-resistant with reinforced toes.
This is John Mattie, Landscape Supervisor in William & Mary’s department of Landscape Services. He oversees the campus grounds and storm water usage. Today he will give you a brief tour of the grounds.
You stand together and observe the symmetrical entrance of Miller Hall.
These grounds are well maintained. They must be as they’re more than a backdrop for a highly regarded business school. This setting fosters professional development and in a typical year, welcomes many distinguished visitors to campus. Its high-visibility brings it under constant scrutiny.
“The maintenance we do here is pretty standard for all the buildings,” said Mattie. “Of course, this is high-profile, out in the front.”
Mattie aims to make the grounds as self-sustaining as possible. Maintenance is limited by manpower and since it is impossible to have staff constantly working outside Miller Hall, it is necessary to have well-positioned plants that require the least amount of work from Mattie’s team.
For example, Mattie appreciates the two big beds of Amelias under the front oak trees. Though Amelias are not native to Virginia, he considers them to be a good choice, because they don’t require constant pruning.
Alternatively, the formal hedgerows require considerably more work. These beds consist of rows of dwarf Yaupon holly, boxwoods, and hydrangeas. Yaupon holly grows quickly so Mattie’s team prunes it regularly to maintain clean lines and the good health of the plants.
When possible, Mattie prefers to use native plants for Miller Hall’s landscaping because they support the local ecosystem. “The native plants feed native bugs, which feed the birds. Exotic plants feed exotic bugs, which can be damaging to our environment,” he said.
Miller Hall currently showcases a good number of native plants, including Red Oaks, Sweetbay Magnolia, Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), Solomons seal (Polygonatum biflorum), and ferns. Mattie plans to utilize more, if possible, as changes are made to the landscape in the future.
As your tour continues, Mattie leads you around the building to explore more of the grounds.
Constructing the landscape
During the construction of Miller Hall, Ann Stokes, owner of Ann P. Stokes Landscape Architects located in Norfolk, acted as Landscape Architect. She recalls that the site where Miller Hall now stands originally consisted of a parking lot and a small oak arboretum. Many varieties of oak trees were planted there by science professors for class projects and experiments, and groups of students frequently toured these oak trees.
When construction began on Miller Hall, most of the oak trees were removed. Stoke’s team of landscape architects wanted to honor their legacy so students visiting the grounds could still learn about a wide variety of trees.
“We planted trees that are native to the Coastal Plain and stretch inland towards the Piedmont in the hopes that professors would bring students over and say, ‘Look, here are some Pawpaw trees, and here’s an American Hornbeam.’ And we planted a whole host of oak trees,” Stoke explained.
A large number of the other plants are drought-resistant and native to the area. In this way, the grounds contribute to sustainability by mitigating current and future maintenance.
The deer are coming!
The landscape architects also considered the impact environmental changes would have on the local deer population. Today, this factor plays a surprisingly large role in the regular maintenance of the grounds.
Whenever students leave campus for an extended amount of time, the campus experiences a resurgence in its number of deer. As Mattie explained, “The less people on campus, the bolder they become and more invasive.”
Deer nibble on plants and if they like the taste, they often decimate the plant.
While students transitioned to remote learning last spring, the campus grounds were swarmed by massive herds of local deer. As a result, the grounds teams used Deer Away repellant to discourage them from eating too much, and deer preferences impacted decisions on which types of plants replace damaged ones and whether they moved locations.
For example, there used to be a row of red roses at the gate for the Martha Wren Briggs Amphitheater at Lake Matoaka. However, deer love roses and it was too much work to protect them so the team decided to let them go.
Mattie expects to see more deer ravaging the grounds over winter break. Once again, this will impact his plans and the work performed by his team in the coming weeks.
Rain-water
Did you know that there’s a massive cistern buried underneath the William J. Fields Courtyard?
The lawn in the courtyard is a popular place for students, faculty, and staff to congregate. Originally, this space was included in the landscaping plans as a place to hold graduations and other ceremonies. However, lawns are generally high-maintenance so the decision was made to burry a large tank underneath the courtyard to help offset its disadvantages.
“It’s very expansive,” Mattie said. The tank spans the length of the lawn between the two parallel brick walkways. It can be used for irrigation purposes and when it’s not in use, it funnels water from the inner roof through a drain along a service road.
This cistern isn’t the only system for rainwater at Miller Hall.
Mattie leads you to the southeast side of the building and points towards a depressed area of land with Paw Paws and many other native trees. He explains that this bed is a stormwater BMP (Best Management Practice), a structure that manages water pollution, and is part of William & Mary’s MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System). Rainwater from the south side of the roof filters through this bed and nutrients are absorbed by the trees. The BMP captures streams of water, slows them down, and discourages erosion. Excess rainwater then passes through an outfall on the other side of the road. This BMP is inspected and maintained annually.
Miller Hall has been awarded two LEED points because of this water efficient landscaping program. The team has seen 50 percent reduction of use and they no longer use potable water for irrigation.
The mission
William & Mary’s Department of Landscape Services is devoted to safe passage through campus, including regular maintenance and cleanup after storms.
During COVID, the department stayed stable by maintaining its workers and their hours. In fact, according to Mattie, it’s actually easier to do his work right now because there aren’t huge campus events that interrupt their maintenance schedule. But regardless of the season or presence of the student body, Mattie’s team is always somewhere on campus working to maintain its beauty and functionality. They are currently preparing for the winter season and the phased return of students in late January and early February.
You have concluded your tour around Miller Hall. Mattie drives off to manage another part of campus. You glance back at the bench where you were sitting and wonder what changes will he and his team make over winter break.
