Maintenance

Ongoing maintenance should be addressed when planning any capital improvement to school grounds. It begins during the design phase by choosing durable materials, considering location, and anticipating the use of the site. Locating a butterfly garden next to a play structure will probably put the garden at risk. A play structure, trashcans, or benches made for the home will not stand up to institutional use. Plant materials should be chosen based upon their ability to survive a particular climatic zone or the rigors of an urban environment. Good soil and a source for watering plants should be addressed during the design phase, as should the availability of sunlight and adequate drainage. An ounce of planning is worth a pound of cure. After improvements have been installed, there needs to be system in place to care for the schoolyard over time.

The Boston Schoolyard Initiative has developed a Shared Maintenance Protocol that seeks to involve all users of the space.

The Schoolyard Group - This planning group, made up of students, parents, administrators, custodians, business partners, out-of-school programs, neighborhood residents and community-based organizations, works with landscape architects, retained by the City, to design improvements to local school grounds. In devising their Master Plan for the site, specific areas can be considered as a part of the whole and positioned appropriately. Active areas can be separated from passive areas. Natural areas can be sited for maximum growth and sustainability. Pathways and the flow of vehicular traffic can be designed to insure safe and orderly conduct. The participatory design process fosters a sense of ownership and creates stakeholders who care about the schoolyard's future.

As projects are constructed, the planning group transitions into a "Friends" group whose job is to contribute to the sustainability of the physical site and ongoing programming. These volunteers can engage in schoolyard clean-ups and replacement plantings, help re-paint murals, games and maps, assist in watering over vacation periods, and they can "drop a dime" if they see vandals destroying property.

Boston Public Schools Office of Facilities Management - This office oversees local custodial staff and has also created the Boston Schoolyard Maintenance Crew, a circuit-riding union team whose sole job is to proactively maintain public school grounds. The City of Boston has invested over $15 million in schoolyard capital improvements and this office plays a critical role in making sure that this investment has a long lasting impact. In partnership with the BSFC, many custodians, and members of Schoolyard Friends Groups, have completed a series of GreenSpace Management Workshops conducted over the past two years. We have also jointly produced a 200+ page plain language manual that highlights good landscaping practices.

Students & Teachers - As the primary users of school grounds, both in-school and out-of-school programs have begun using the maintenance of schoolyards as a way to promote good citizenship and environmental stewardship. Youth participate in planting, mulching and watering gardens, painting murals, and picking up litter. These fun activities abound in lessons. For example, litter collection can be a "real world" lesson in the solid waste stream, recycling, reuse and the problem of excessive packaging. Composting can be a lesson in the creation and value of good soil.

In the final analysis, we've also learned that the sustainability of capital improvements is inextricably linked to the programmatic use of the site. If users value, and care about, their schoolyard space, they are more likely to treat it with respect and to encourage others to do the same.